Spurs are realizing what the Kings always knew about De'Aaron Fox

De'Aaron Fox was always touted as a good guy, but he's been the pinnacle of a great teammate since he's been in San Antonio. The winner of the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award has every reason to be selfish on the floor because he's good enough to get his shot whenever he wants. Instead, he empowers his teammates, and his selflessness has been a key reason for the Spurs' success.

Kings fans are still upset about losing their franchise point guard. You can go online after any solid Fox performance and find what can closely be described as Sacramento support groups. It's not just that they didn't get much in return for him; it's that he was dealt in the first place. He's an explosive player with clutch ability, and he makes a positive impact on culture. What more could you want?

Fox has always shown flexibility

Swipa didn't complain when Sacramento brought in Tyrese Haliburton. The move took the ball out of his hands, but if it was to the benefit of the team, he was fine with the move. The two actually played very well together, so it was a shock to everyone when they opted to trade Hali for Domantas Sabonis. But maybe it shouldn't have been.

You can almost understand what their thought process was, but it's outdated. The Kings probably thought that since they had a great guard, they needed to pair him with a skilled big man, but that's not necessarily how team-building works these days.

Had they kept Haliburton and allowed him to grow alongside Fox, they would have had one of the fastest and most terrifying backcourts in the league. That would have been enough to make noise in the West with the proper pieces around them. Still, when they made the move, the former Kentucky star didn't make a peep.

The rest is history. The Kings made misstep after misstep until eventually he wanted out, and that had to sting. Fox didn't take long before he got active in San Antonio communities, and he was just as involved in Sacramento with gift drives, supporting the underprivileged, and spreading breast cancer awareness.

He's selfless on the court because it's in his personality to be. Stepping up when his team needs him is just as much a part of that as falling back and letting the game flow through the young guys. San Antonio is fortunate to have him.