New Spurs Rumors on De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and 'Team Dynamics' After NBA Finals Loss to Knicks

A disappointing showing from veteran guard De'Aaron Fox was coupled with the emergence of rookie sensation Dylan Harper during the San Antonio Spurs' NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks, but it doesn't sound like the team will be making any changes to its backcourt anytime soon.

Reporting from the NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas, The Athletic's Jared Weiss revealed that "multiple team and league sources said the Spurs still see Fox as a critical part of the team's future." The two-time All-Star has the experience advantage over Harper and 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.

"Harper has expressed a willingness to be patient and accept a sixth man role again next season as he continues to get a feel for how to run an offense full-time, according to sources familiar with his thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe team dynamics," Weiss stated. "Though Fox struggled mightily to finish the postseason, he still has a significant advantage over Castle and Harper in his ability to consistently read the tempo of the game and organize the offense to create good looks beyond the first action. Those skills make Fox vital to the team as the two younger guards build those skills."

Fox averaged just 12.8 points and 6.0 assists while shooting a measly 34.3 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc during the NBA Finals as the Spurs lost to the Knicks in five games. Meanwhile, Harper excelled off the bench with averages of 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

To add to San Antonio's dilemma even further, Fox is entering the first year of his four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension, making him an unlikely trade candidate. The Spurs seem to have no choice but to try to make it work with their three guards.

"There is also an understanding, according to those sources, that Fox is not tradeable on his contract at the moment, and rehabbing his value with a good playoff performance next season will be crucial to an inevitable backcourt succession plan," Weiss stated. "Castle is locked in as a starter, and though the three guards closed games together on occasion, it's unlikely the Spurs would start all of them unless one of them becomes a knockdown shooter."