The San Antonio Spurs may have reached the NBA Finals, but that hasn’t stopped the trade chatter from following them all offseason. De’Aaron Fox has been at the center of it, and Keldon Johnson has also popped up in mock deals as the Spurs are expected to shake up their core before making another run.
Johnson’s name keeps coming up because of the role he can fill. Even after a rough postseason, he’s still viewed as a rebounding wing on the final year of a team-friendly contract.
Fox is a different kind of discussion. He struggled in the postseason as well, but with $221 million owed to him over the next four seasons, moving him is a much tougher task.
Still, the direction of the roster seems clear. With Dylan Harper on the bench, the Spurs are widely seen as aggressively shopping Fox in the coming months, or at least before the February 2027 trade deadline.
That idea has only grown after Fox’s uneven Finals showing. What once looked like a long-term pairing with Victor Wembanyama now feels far less certain, and many Spurs fans have turned on him after the series. The question is whether another team will be willing to pay the price for a guard on a massive deal.
“Trading Fox and fully unleashing Harper might seem like a no-brainer,” wrote FanSided's Eamon Cassels. “Fox's contract ($49.4 million this year and only increasing each year) might thwart these plans, though, even if he works up his value.
Few teams need a lead guard, and in the second apron era, decision-makers don't want to take on any bad money. Regardless, the Spurs are primed to remain in the inner circle of contention, but what can they and will they shake up their guard room is something to watch.”
San Antonio does have one advantage: a stockpile of first-round picks. Even so, Fox’s contract makes him the kind of player a rebuilding team with cap space probably wouldn’t want unless the Spurs were willing to add a pick to make the deal work.
A trade framework could include the Brooklyn Nets, with Michael Porter Jr. going to San Antonio in a deal that would also require the Spurs to attach a draft pick. Other possible partners mentioned include the New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, and Dallas Mavericks, all described as rebuilding teams or teams on the decline.
In theory, trading Fox lines up neatly with the Spurs’ desire to create more room for Harper. In reality, though, Fox still has to convince other teams that he’s worth the investment.
In Other News...
Chris Bosh Sends Spurs Another Warning About Victor Wembanyama
Chris Bosh has become one of the clearest voices for Victor Wembanyama as the Spurs star continues navigating the kind of health scare that can change a career in a hurry. Bosh knows the stakes better than most after blood clots cut short his own NBA run, and he recently offered advice from that experience while making the rounds at a charity event. For San Antonio, the connection matters because Wembanyama has already dealt with a diagnosis that forced him off the floor before he returned to play.
Wembanyama was diagnosed in February 2025 and later got the green light from medical staff four months after surgery, but the subject is still bigger than a typical injury update. Bosh has spoken openly about his own condition, and his warning carries extra weight because it comes from someone who lived through the long-term consequences. The Spurs can only hope Wembanyama keeps moving forward, because with this issue, the margins are as thin as they get. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Have Proven The Right Way To Build Around Wemby
The Giannis Antetokounmpo speculation around San Antonio never went anywhere, but it did underscore the bigger question hanging over the franchise: how aggressively should the Spurs chase a title while Victor Wembanyama is still on the rise? In theory, Giannis would have been an ideal fit next to Wembanyama, giving the Spurs a devastating blend of rim pressure, defense and star power. Instead, the front office stayed the course with its young core, a decision that looked more patient than flashy at the time.
Now the way San Antonio handled that moment feels a lot smarter in hindsight. The Spurs kept their foundation intact, advanced all the way to the NBA Finals and enter the next season with real championship expectations. For a team trying to build around a generational player, the lesson may be that the right move is not always the biggest one, especially when the roster is already starting to look like it can win on its own. [Read more 🡒]
Keldon Johnson Faces A Spurs Season That Could Change Everything
Keldon Johnsons last season offered a sharp reminder of how quickly a players standing can shift. He put together a strong regular season, but the playoffs exposed some rough edges, especially on defense and when he tried to get into the paint. For a Spurs team trying to keep building the right way, that kind of postseason swing matters, because it changes how the front office and coaching staff view his place in the rotation.
Johnson is headed into a season where the opportunity may not look quite as large as it once did, and that alone adds pressure. He will need a better all-around showing if he wants to strengthen his case for another deal with San Antonio, and every stretch of play figures to matter as the Spurs sort out what comes next around him. [Read more 🡒]