The San Antonio Spurs appeased their 2024 Rookie of the Year and first-time All-Star center Victor Wembanyama by acquiring ex-Sacramento Kings guard and 2023 All-Star De'Aaron Fox through a blockbuster 3-team deal with the Chicago Bulls this past season.
San Antonio signaled to their budding superstar that they are committed to competing for titles as soon as possible, but another recent acquisition could force the organization to change course.
After landing the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Spurs elected to take Rutgers University star Dylan Harper to have him join a stacked guard room including Fox and 2025 Rookie of the Year winner Stephon Castle.
As a result of Harper's inclusion in the Spurs' plans, Fox's immediate future could be up in the air. According to a recent report, the 2023 Clutch Player of the Year might surprisingly be headed for the trade block if Harper can improve in a key area.
"(Harper) has some (Manu) Ginobili to his offensive game," an anonymous Western Conference scout told ESPN's Jeremy Woo on Thursday morning.
"If the 3-point shot ever becomes a true weapon (for him), he makes Fox expendable and gives San Antonio a nice trade asset."
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At just 27 years old, Fox has developed into one of the top point guards in the entire Association thanks to his uber-athletic play-style and polished offensive game.
Unfortunately, it seems that his lack of jump-shooting prowess could mark a premature end to his Spurs tenure.
In 17 appearances for San Antonio post-trade to close out the 2024-25 season, Fox contributed 19.7 points, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals, though his three-point percentage dropped to a horrid 27.4% figure on 5.6 attempts.
If the 6-foot-6, 19-year-old Harper develops into a more trustworthy distance shooting option sooner rather than later, the writing could be on the wall with regard to the Spurs eventually shopping Fox on the trade market.
While it remains unlikely that the newly-acquired Fox will become a trade chip for the franchise, his ability to play alongside Harper and Castle will be an interesting development to watch throughout the course of the 2025-26 campaign.
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