The San Antonio Spurs’ playoff run exposed a problem they couldn’t quite hide: De’Aaron Fox wasn’t giving them what they needed, and Dylan Harper looked like the better fit alongside Victor Wembanyama.
That point only got louder after the Spurs made it through the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, then fell to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, 4-1. By the end of the series, the conversation had shifted from what Fox could still become to whether San Antonio already had a better answer on the roster.
NBA reporter Evan Sidery pointed straight at the numbers.
“The Spurs are outscoring the Knicks by 15.3 points per 100 possessions when Dylan Harper shares the court with Victor Wembanyama. Needing to win three of the next four to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, it’s time to bench De’Aaron Fox in favor of Wembanyama’s long-term option,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.
The defensive side of the story backed that up too. Even against Jalen Brunson in the Finals, the Spurs were better when Harper was the one taking the assignment. CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn explained why Harper gave them a different look.
“Harper, listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, is bigger than Fox (6-3, 185) and defends far more physically. That better equips him to guard Brunson and potentially switch onto bigger players as well,” CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn wrote.
Fox took plenty of heat during the series, and that has already spilled into trade chatter. CBS Sports’ John Gonzalez floated a mock deal that would send Fox to the Dallas Mavericks for Kyrie Irving.
“Yeah, yeah, the Mavs keep saying that Kyrie Irving is unavailable. But what if the Spurs attach some draft picks to Fox's cringey contract and the Mavs get a slightly younger guard for Kyrie?
Fox doesn't need to help the Mavs win now, and Kyrie would land on a team that has title-or-bust aspirations. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper need to play as much as possible, but in this scenario, it's less about who starts than having two of the three guards on the floor at all times and then potentially closing with all three of Irving, Castle and Harper,” Gonzalez wrote.
For San Antonio, Irving would bring something Fox did not: deep playoff experience. He is a nine-time All-Star and an NBA champion, exactly the kind of proven star the Spurs are searching for.
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For the Mavericks, that kind of logjam is exactly the sort of situation worth monitoring. Dallas has been searching for ways to improve around the edges without boxing itself in, and the front office does have tools to work with, including Klay Thompson on an expiring deal, P.J. Washington in trade discussions and a $20.8 million trade exception. If Portland ever decides it needs to sort out its guard rotation, Dallas should be ready to pounce before another team beats it to the line. [Read more 🡒]