Despite a vocal contingent of fans begging otherwise, the San Antonio Spurs are not expected to trade away De’Aaron Fox. At least, not yet. After all, Fox is a steady hand on offense, capable on defense, and is legitimately an All-Star point guard.
Dylan Harper should eventually be better than him, and after the postseason, there’s a case to be made that Harper already is. However, you can’t just throw away a quality player for nothing, and right now that’s what the Spurs would get on the trade market.
Keep in mind, for the entire regular season, there was no doubt as to who the second-best player on the roster was. Before injuries caught up to him, Fox was averaging 18.8 points per game in the postseason. Remember Fox’s playoff debut with the Sacramento Kings in 2023: that’s the type of guy the Spurs can reasonably expect to see in the 2027 postseason.
While fans are clamoring for Fox to be traded, expect him to remain just as important to the lineup this season as he was last year.
Spurs to Rely on De’Aaron Fox in 2027
Eventually, the Spurs will have to trade away Fox. Harper has three seasons left on his rookie deal, and once the Spurs extend him, there isn’t room on the books for Harper, Fox, Victor Wembanyama, and Stephon Castle.
Fox is pretty clearly the odd man out, but he has up to three more seasons in town before the Spurs seriously have to consider moving on from him. The belief in San Antonio is that Fox will return to form, and with Harper under team control, there’s no reason not to keep all three guards around.
The Spurs have their sights set on the 2027 Finals, and are quick to forget Fox’s collapse against the Knicks. The organization is hoping fans will do the same.
“They’re not seeing De’Aaron Fox as this guy who ruined the Finals for them, because that’s not what happened,” said SI’s Matt Guzman of the Spurs. “When you’re looking at a team that is trying to get back to the NBA Finals, they’re going to continue to rely on the pieces that got them there in the first place.”
This summer, the Spurs added Tobias Harris. They didn’t lose a single rotation player. After winning 62 games, usurping the OKC Thunder, and making the Finals, keeping the roster intact makes a lot of sense.
That means running things back with Fox.
“A lot of that production will be returning, and they will look to continue to utilize that, and that includes Fox,” Guzman added. “When you look at what he was able to do last season, a lot of people obviously like to forget this because he had a rough playoffs, but he was a key role in settling an offense that was still very, very young.”
Much like Fox left a bitter taste in fans’ mouths, Harper ended the season on a high note. On a day in and day out basis, fans should expect something in between. Yes, Harper should take a leap. But Fox should also return to form now that he’s healthy, giving them a stable hand.
High-quality point guards don’t grow on trees. The Spurs are in no rush.
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