De’Aaron Fox reached the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs, but the conversation around his future has already moved from fit to flexibility.
San Antonio lost the 2026 Finals to the New York Knicks in five games, and Fox’s finish to the series left the Spurs with an uncomfortable question about a max-contract guard beside Victor Wembanyama.
The answer may be more complicated than simply deciding whether the Spurs want a change, because the market for Fox could be thin.
Kevin O’Connor says the San Antonio Spurs may be stuck with De’Aaron Fox’s contract
In a post shared by Kevin O’Connor on X, the NBA analyst questioned whether there would be enough demand if San Antonio explored a Fox trade.
“The problem with a De’Aaron Fox trade is: Who wants Fox? Most teams that need a PG are gonna draft one. This class is loaded with guards,” O’Connor said.
He added, “Teams that would trade for one will prefer the younger and cheaper Ja Morant. There’s a chance San Antonio is just stuck with Fox.”
The Spurs committed major money to him through the end of the decade, and any team trading for him would need to believe he is still worth building a backcourt around at a huge salary.
O’Connor’s point was not that Fox has no talent. It was that teams needing a point guard may have cheaper routes through the draft, while trade suitors could look at younger options before taking on such an expensive deal.
De’Aaron Fox’s NBA Finals struggles gave San Antonio Spurs trade debate a sharper edge
Fox’s underwhelming end to the Knicks series gave the contract discussion a basketball reason, not just a salary-cap one.
In Game 5, he scored seven points on 3-of-15 shooting as San Antonio lost 94-90 and watched New York close the series 4-1. For a guard on a deal worth more than $221 million, that final image was always going to invite criticism.
The Spurs also had younger guard questions around the roster, with Dylan Harper’s rise adding another layer to the Fox debate. San Antonio has to decide which ball-handlers best fit Wembanyama’s title window.
Fox can still attack the paint, pressure defenses, and create pace, but the Finals showed why doubts have grown.
If the Spurs decide his role is no longer worth the price, O’Connor’s concern is that finding a buyer may be just as difficult as making the decision.
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