NBA Rumors: San Antonio Spurs' Concerns About De'Aaron Fox
The point guard is one of the team's big stars, but his disappointing performance in the Finals and the rise of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper open the exit doors for him.
The disappointing performance of De’Aaron Fox in the 2026 NBA Finals has placed the San Antonio Spurs point guard at the center of criticism and trade rumors. A missed layup at a critical moment and several below-expectation performances, further affected by an ankle injury, have fueled doubts about his future with the franchise.
Adding to this is the spectacular rise of Dylan Harper, who has forcefully entered the Spurs' rotation, making Fox's future more questioned than ever. While some believe the Spurs should consider moving him, the franchise publicly maintains its intention to keep him for next season. However, that does not guarantee that the point guard will remain in San Antonio a year from now.
A $221 million contract that increases pressure
Fox is no stranger to trade rumors. His name has appeared as a potential departure from the Spurs since the Finals and, especially, since Harper demonstrated that he could become an All-NBA level point guard in the future.
Zach Buckley from Bleacher Report was emphatic in analyzing San Antonio's summer and stated that “De’Aaron Fox has to go.” The journalist believes that the point guard's performance will need to match the four-year, $221 million extension he is about to start receiving if he wants to definitively dispel doubts about his continuity.
“The NBA Finals put Fox under the worst kind of spotlight. Not only did he struggle in key moments, but he also watched as the player right behind him in the rotation, Dylan Harper, the number 2 pick last summer, performed so well that everyone wondered why he wasn’t playing more minutes,” Buckley wrote.
According to this reading, the worst interpretation of the situation presents Fox as a $221.7 million obstacle to San Antonio's project.
The point guard was also included by Bleacher Report among the NBA point guards who have the most to prove next season. Harper's presence and Fox's performance during the playoffs have raised the question of whether he can truly be the Spurs' franchise point guard in the long term.
“Any rational view of San Antonio's long-term future does not include the version of Fox we saw in the playoffs. Unless he has one of the best seasons of his career, it will be hard to see him in the Spurs' plans beyond this year,” wrote Grant Hughes.
Despite establishing himself as a top-tier point guard during his first nine seasons in the NBA, Fox does not have guaranteed long-term continuity in San Antonio.
The Spurs remain confident in Fox
Despite all the speculation, the Spurs' official stance remains clear. The franchise considers Fox an important piece for next season, and general manager Brian Wright has already publicly defended his continuity.
“We have the utmost confidence in De’Aaron and in who he is as a player, in what he has been for us and in what he means to this team. And that has not changed at all... I know he is approaching this summer with the intention of continuing to improve,” Wright stated.
Additionally, Jared Weiss of The Athletic and Michael C. Wright of ESPN noted that San Antonio intends to position Fox as the starter ahead of Harper next season.
“Multiple sources from the team and the league said the Spurs still view Fox as a fundamental part of the team's future,” Weiss wrote. According to those same sources, there is also a perception that Fox's contract makes him a player that is not easy to trade currently, so recovering his value with a good performance in the upcoming playoffs will be crucial in the inevitable succession process in the backcourt.
Michael C. Wright also confirmed that Fox will remain the starter alongside Stephon Castle, while Harper will begin the season coming off the bench. Despite his ups and downs in the Finals, the Spurs remain committed to the veteran.
Fox will enter the 2026-27 season with the first year of his $221 million contract extension. His salary will be $49.5 million for the upcoming campaign.
His future will depend on what happens on the court
Fox's hefty contract complicates any potential move, but his performance issues could lead San Antonio to explore the trade market to see what young assets they could receive in return for the point guard.
For now, the front office maintains its support, but the NBA has shown time and again that those positions can change. Especially if Fox continues to be an obstacle for the Spurs to compete for the title alongside Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper as the core of the project.
Overall, Fox appears to be safe for the moment. However, his margin to prove that he deserves to continue being the franchise point guard of San Antonio could be limited, especially after what happened in the NBA Finals and the difficulties the team faced when it needed his best version the most.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rumores NBA: Las dudas de San Antonio Spurs con De"Aaron Fox
