De'Aaron Fox's true value can't be measured until the NBA playoffs

The NBA playoffs are almost here, and San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox will have more pressure on him than most. Fox was brought in to be Victor Wembanyama's co-star, but that hasn't always been the case this season.

Most fans would agree that Stephon Castle has been the team's second-best player this season. That's not to say that Fox is having a disappointing season, just an inconsistent one.

A lot of that has to do with his role, as he primarily plays off-ball and takes a back seat to Castle. He's still averaging a solid 18.5 points and 6.1 assists while playing out of position.

Nevertheless, Fox is set to make at least $50 million over each of the next five seasons. Therefore, the playoffs will determine whether he is worth his max contract.

De'Aaron Fox's true value can't be measured until the NBA Playoffs

It's clear that Fox isn't playing at anywhere near his best, and he's having to fit in rather than have the offense revolve around him and Wembanyama. Thus far, that has worked out well for San Antonio but less so for Fox.

Fox will have a lot to prove in the playoffs. If he plays well and helps raise the Spurs' ceiling, resulting in them making at least the Western Conference Finals, then he will have proven doubters and skeptics wrong.

On the other hand, if he plays at a similar level to what he is now, or worse, and San Antonio gets bounced in the second round, doubters will be shouting from the rooftops. Let's hope for the former.

There's another huge benefit to Fox playing well in the playoffs

Obviously, the better Fox plays, the better the Spurs will perform in the playoffs. However, there is another huge benefit to him playing well in the playoffs.

Fox will almost certainly have to be traded at some point considering his massive contract. Remember, San Antonio will also have to pay Wembanyama a supermax and possibly give Castle and Dylan Harper rookie max deals.

Therefore, Fox having a strong showing in the playoffs will help keep his trade value high in the event that San Antonio needs to move on from him. That might still be at least a couple of seasons away.

But given that he is on a max contract, him playing like a star will at least make his deal easier to move. That is incredibly important. Otherwise, he might end up having negative value.

In that scenario, the Spurs might have to attach a pick or two rather than receive them in a possible trade down the line. While that's a distant concern, San Antonio likely expected that signing him to a max contract might be a problem down the road.

This adds another dimension to Fox's upcoming performance in the playoffs. No matter how fans feel about his play during the regular season, he has a chance to start fresh in the playoffs.

If he lives up to expectations, then that contract suddenly looks much better. Especially if he helps deliver a championship to San Antonio.