The Spurs front office is right to look at every opportunity they have to acquire a premium perimeter creator to pair with Victor Wembanyama. That’s not to say that trading for De’Aaron Fox is the right move for San Antonio.

Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that the Spurs are “position oneself” for a race to lead Sacramento. Fox is increasingly disappointed with the state of the Kings’ roster as they continue to fall behind their competition in the Western Conference.

On the surface, the idea that San Antonio would trade for an All-Star point guard in his prime seems like the perfect fit for a team that needs to make the game easier for its generational star. A closer look should make the Spurs front office seriously think about cashing in their trade chips to land Fox.

The Spurs need to find a way to produce easier baskets. Fox is a guard who really thrives in the open field. His ability to push the ball in transition would be a major asset to the team’s overall offense and Wembanyama’s scoring game as an individual.

Fox’s ability to penetrate the half court would also make the game easier for San Antonio’s 7-foot-3 superstar. He doesn’t have quite the same flash as a few seasons ago, but he can still put pressure on opponents with his first step and improvement. He would be an upgrade over Chris Paul because of his ability to be an individual scorer.

Acquiring Fox would improve the Spurs offense. The problem here is that this isn’t the ideal acquisition for San Antonio if they want to maximize things around Wembanyama.

The first thing Spurs need to do to build the best possible team around Wembanyama is give him more breathing room. It’s critical that they build a starting five that surrounds their franchise star four sharpshooters.

Fox is a lot of things but it’s not a premium shooter. His declining 3-point percentage should be a major red flag for decisions in San Antonio. He is only making 33.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc this season. This, coupled with his noticeable decrease in bursting the ball, makes him easier for opponents to defend in the half court.

It’s easy to imagine a scenario in which Fox loses another step in terms of half-court athleticism and ceases to be nothing more than an average offensive player in a season or two. He might be able to make up for this loss of athleticism by adding more skill to his game, but that’s not a gamble the Spurs should be willing to make.

Pleading for more patience won’t satisfy Spurs fans who want to see their team accelerate its rebuild, but it’s the right course of action for the franchise. Acquiring a good starter is not the all-in move San Antonio should pursue.

The front office should keep its trade powder dry until a young shooter becomes available. Wembanyama is only playing his age 21 season. Fox is already 27, which doesn’t fit perfectly with the Spurs’ best player.

Ultimately, Fox is a good, but not great, match for Wembanyama on the field, who is closer to age-related regression than his athletic peak. For these two reasons, Spurs must abandon going all-in for Fox and wait for a better partner for Wemby.