New NBA Trade Rumors Update Buzz on De'Aaron Fox's Future With Spurs, Dylan Harper's Role

The San Antonio Spurs downed the Oklahoma City Thunder to tie the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece, but questions about the Spurs' future have already begun to emerge.

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick, "there's already league-wide chatter" about De'Aaron Fox's future with the Spurs as San Antonio faces a possible decision between the veteran guard and the standout rookie point guard Dylan Harper.

"The assertion, shared by rival executives and media folks alike, is that rookie guard Dylan Harper is simply too good to come off the bench for long and will eventually need to start alongside second-year guard Stephon Castle," Amick wrote.

The Spurs acquired Fox from the Sacramento Kings last February and signed him to a four-year, $229 million max contract in August. Fox's play certainly justifies that deal, but San Antonio perhaps didn't anticipate the overflow of talent in the backcourt with him, Castle and Harper.

Harper hasn't yet proved himself as a better option than Fox—he averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game this year—but it's easy to see a world in which he has surpassed Fox from a talent standpoint.

Harper gave the Spurs a glimpse of what's to come in Game 1 against the Thunder when he had 24 points, 11 boards, six assists and seven steals.

The question for the Spurs is how long they would give Fox before replacing him with Harper, if that is the scenario they face.

If Harper takes a major leap in Year 2, the logical option from a salary cap standpoint would be for San Antonio to rid itself of Fox's pricey contract and use that money elsewhere while Harper finishes out his rookie deal.

The Spurs could also continue to use Harper off the bench for a few years and enjoy having some of the best depth in the NBA.

For most franchises, too much talent in the backcourt is seldom an issue. That's not the case for the Spurs, who are two wins away from reaching the Finals and appear to be on their way to multiple championships in the next decade.

But with success comes tough financial decisions, and San Antonio will surely face its fair share in the coming years.