Rich Paul Reveals Darius Garland Nearly Teamed Up with Wemby Before De'Aaron Fox Trade in New Video

Before the San Antonio Spurs acquired star point guard De'Aaron Fox at the 2025 trade deadline, they reportedly could've had another floor general sent their way.

Veteran NBA agent Rich Paul explained during this week's episode of Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul that Fox initially wasn't looking to be moved from the Sacramento Kings, so he turned to another point guard in Darius Garland, whom he revealed was disgruntled over his situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"The thing about that trade for De'Aaron, at first it wasn't De'Aaron. It was another guard that I represent that I was envisioning going there, because De'Aaron wasn't wanting to be traded yet," Paul explained. "It was Darius Garland. He was flustered, he was frustrated and he wanted to get out."

Garland took a backseat to star guard Donovan Mitchell upon his arrival to the Cavs, but he eventually found his footing. Paul added that after Garland initially wanted out, "things changed, and he was fine." The 26-year-old was eventually shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers at this year's trade deadline as part of the deal that sent star guard James Harden to Cleveland.

When the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown, Fox changed his stance on being traded, and he didn't hesitate to accept a role as the No. 2 option behind Spurs star big man Victor Wembanyama.

"So in De'Aaron's case, when he finally got to the point to where, 'You know what, it's probably time,' and we're having a conversation, one of the things we talked about is, 'OK, if you get to the Spurs, are you OK being No. 2?'" Paul said. "... And he didn't even flinch. 'Absolutely. Absolutely.'"

The decision surely paid off, as Fox and Wembanyama will be trying to lead the Spurs to their first NBA championship since 2014 when they face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, starting with Game 1 on Wednesday night.