New NBA Rumors on De'Aaron Fox vs. Dylan Harper Battle, Wemby and Stephon Castle's Spurs Contract

On the heels of a breakout season that saw them reach the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs have an interesting offseason ahead of them even though it doesn't appear like there will be many significant changes to their roster.

Per ESPN's Michael C. Wright, the Spurs "remain committed" to De'Aaron Fox as their starting point guard despite Dylan Harper arguably being the better player throughout the postseason and their long-term financial outlook being murky with looming extensions for Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle:

"It's expected that calls from Harper's camp for a spot in the starting lineup will grow louder going into next season. But it's not an issue San Antonio needs to address right away. Fox's contract won't become a potential eyesore until after Wembanyama's upcoming rookie extension kicks in, and when the Spurs are looking next summer to extend Castle to what should be a max deal."

The big move for the Spurs this summer, as alluded to by Wright, will likely be Wembanyama's extension. He is eligible to sign a five-year, $251 million rookie max contract that could increase to $301 million if he makes the All-NBA team, wins MVP or Defensive Player of the Year during the 2026-27 season.

Castle will be eligible to extend off his rookie deal after next season. Wembanyama's extension wouldn't kick in until the 2027-28 campaign.

Fox was the first of the Spurs main players to get a big-money deal when he signed a four-year, $229 million extension last August. His salary will be $49.5 million next season and will eventually climb to $61.4 million for the final season in 2029-30.

Harper, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft, figures to be a huge factor in the equation for San Antonio. He wasn't always happy with the amount of playing time he received as a rookie.

Head coach Mitch Johnson did seem to recognize Harper's importance in the Finals. The rookie played more than 30 minutes in each of the final four games against the New York Knicks.

Harper only had one game with at least 30 minutes in the first three rounds. It was Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder that went into double-overtime and he was a starter because Fox was out due to a sprained ankle.

Spurs-Thunder Highlights

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The 20-year-old averaged 14.1 points on 51.5 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 23 playoff appearances. Fox, by comparison, averaged 15.6 points on 41.4 percent shooting, 6.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest in 21 starts during the postseason.

These roster decisions are an indication of how enviable the situation is for the Spurs right now. Wembanyama will be the center of everything they do, with Harper and Castle presumably going to be his long-term co-stars.

Fox may not play out the rest of his career in San Antonio, but it may not be totally fair to judge his struggles in the NBA Finals because he did play well earlier in the postseason before the ankle injury.

The Spurs won 62 games during the regular season with this core leading the way. They also became the second-youngest team by average age to reach the NBA Finals in the shot-clock era, so their experience gained from this postseason only figures to help them going forward.