Spurs fans were quick to jump to the trade talk after De'Aaron Fox's rough Finals showing, but that reaction ignores the biggest thing working in San Antonio's favor: Fox is still one of the 40-50 best players in the NBA.
Yes, he has plenty to prove when the new season opens in October. The frustration is real, and some fans would move on from him without any guarantee the Spurs could land a player of similar caliber in return. But that kind of thinking misses how thin the margin gets if San Antonio strips away one of its top creators.
We found our Backup Point Guard.
Brian Wright make the Call. Trade De'Aaron Fox and Let Harper start! pic.twitter.com/Oue8CM56CF
- Spurs Zone (@SpursUniversity) July 12, 2026
That concern gets even sharper when you look at the roster behind him. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are both emerging, but if either one goes down, the Spurs would be leaning on Jordan McLaughlin or Ja'Kobi Gillespie for major minutes. At that point, one of the team’s biggest strengths disappears.
San Antonio already got a clear reminder last season of why Fox matters so much. Less than a month into the 2025-26 campaign, Victor Wembanyama and Castle both went down.
Castle missed time from November 18 to December 5, and during that stretch Fox had to carry the offense. The Spurs averaged 119 points per game with the eighth-highest offensive rating, while Fox posted 27 points and 6 assists a night on 48% FG and 37% 3PT.
San Antonio went 6-3 in those games.
That kind of production is exactly why Mitch Johnson's three-headed playmaking setup became such a defining part of the Spurs' success. Fox, Castle and Harper all bring All-Star-level ability, and San Antonio is in a rare spot because it can let them share the floor or take turns running the show. Few teams can say that.
The alternatives don’t make much sense, either. Other teams saw what Fox did in the Finals, and even with the injury, that’s the sort of situation where a rival would try to buy low. But with max money about to kick in, the Spurs would be negotiating from a weak position and likely giving up more than they’d get back.
That’s why the simplest answer is probably the right one. The Spurs reached the NBA Finals after winning 62 games with Fox as a key piece, and there’s every reason to think he can come back even sharper with a chip on his shoulder. If there’s a revenge tour coming, San Antonio is the team that should want to cash in on it.
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