Dylan Harper Could Complicate De’Aaron Fox’s Extension Talks With The Spurs

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 10: De’Aaron Fox #4 and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs walk down the court during the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

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Other than the Dallas Mavericks, no team was a bigger winner on the night of the 2025 NBA draft lottery than the San Antonio Spurs. Despite entering the lottery with the eighth-best odds of any team, they wound up jumping six spots to land the No. 2 overall pick.

To absolutely no one’s surprise, the Mavericks wound up taking Duke forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick. The Spurs proceeded to take Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper, the consensus second-best prospect in this year’s draft class, at No. 2.

Harper was a no-brainer for the Spurs from a best-player-available perspective, which is the strategy that teams typically employ that high in the draft. However, Harper isn’t the cleanest fit with their incumbent backcourt, as he hit only 33.3% of his three-point attempts during his lone season at Rutgers.

The Spurs already had two point guards who struggled from distance in Stephon Castle, whom they spent the No. 4 overall pick on in 2024, and De’Aaron Fox, whom they acquired in a deal with the Sacramento Kings ahead of the February trade deadline. Castle shot 28.5% from deep on 4.1 attempts per game as a rookie, while Fox is a career 33.0% three-point shooter who has shot 32.5% or worse from downtown in five of his seven NBA seasons.

The Spurs presumably aren’t oblivious to the potential fit issues that they’ve created in their backcourt by selecting Harper. They’re just betting on his talent and are willing to see how their new rotation shakes out. With Harper locked into a cost-controlled rookie-scale contract for the next four years and Castle still on his for the next three, the Spurs should be in no huge rush to figure out which of them are long-term keepers.

However, Fox might not be so fortunate. On Aug. 3, he’ll become eligible to sign a four-year extension that’s projected to be worth more than $220 million. But now that the Spurs have both Harper and Castle in the fold, it’s unclear if he should expect that type of payday.

De’Aaron Fox’s Extension Talks Looming

This past fall, Fox turned down a three-year, $165 million extension offer from the Kings, as he stood to make far more money this offseason. Shortly after the Kings traded him to the Spurs, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on SportsCenter that he “would expect Fox to sign a big contract extension in the summer,” as “it was pretty much understood that was the way it was going to go.”

That was before the Spurs landed Harper in the lottery, though.

To some extent, the Spurs have competing priorities at the moment. They need to think long-term as they look to build around 21-year-old big man Victor Wembanyama, a once-in-a-generation prospect who was on a glide path to win Defensive Player of the Year this past season before he was shut down after the All-Star break due to deep vein thrombosis. However, Wembanyama is so uniquely impactful on both ends of the floor that the Spurs already have legitimate playoff aspirations, particularly after acquiring Fox.

The Spurs didn’t make major offseason splashes like the Houston Rockets, who acquired Kevin Durant, or the Atlanta Hawks, who landed Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. They did sign former Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet to a four-year, $40.7 million deal and traded 2022 first-round picks Blake Wesley, Malaki Branham and a 2026 second-rounder to the Washington Wizards for veteran big man Kelly Olynyk, but their biggest improvements came through the draft.

Harper wasn’t the Spurs’ only lottery pick this year. They also had the No. 14 overall pick from the Atlanta Hawks courtesy of the Dejounte Murray trade, which they spent on Arizona wing Carter Bryant. The 19-year-old figures to slot in early on as a three-and-D option behind the likes of Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson, although he could have a clear path to a starting job as early as next season. Barnes just turned 33 in May and is heading into the final year of his contract, so he might not be long for San Antonio.

The Spurs’ biggest issue to sort out now is their backcourt. They figure to begin the year with both Fox and Castle in their starting lineup, but how long can they afford to bring Harper off the bench (if at all)? Can they start all three together? What would that mean for Vassell, Barnes, Johnson, Bryant and/or Jeremy Sochan?

Having too many starting-caliber players is the NBA’s definition of a champagne problem, but it could be a nine-figure one for the Spurs soon.

New Player Valuations Could Impact Fox’s Extension

The NBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement appears to be making teams think twice before they hand over a blank check to any star in free agency or extension negotiations. The punishing team-building restrictions that come about by crossing the new second apron have legitimate teeth.

The Spurs thus have to ask themselves two questions: Are they comfortable committing to Fox for the long haul? Even if they are, at what price point would they risk having his eventual trade value crater?

Realistically, the Spurs could move forward with the 19-year-old Harper and 20-year-old Castle alongside Wembanyama as the foundation of their young core. Add in Bryant (19), Vassell (24), Johnson (25) and Sochan (22), and they’d have an impressive young supporting cast, with or without Fox.

Even if the Spurs aren’t committed to Fox long-term, they shouldn’t want to risk losing him for nothing next summer in free agency. If anything, it would behoove them to sign him to a shorter-term deal that expires once Wembanyama and Castle are no longer on their rookie-scale contracts. That might help him maintain more trade appeal, too.

If Fox begins to decline at any point over the coming years, his contract could quickly turn into an albatross. At this time last year, the Philadelphia 76ers were being widely praised for their signing of Paul George in free agency.

Barring a major injury, Fox’s value isn’t likely to plummet that precipitously anytime soon. But if the Spurs get him to sign a below-max extension, that should only bolster his trade value across the league. The less money they give him, the more other teams may covet him.

Had the Spurs not landed Harper in the draft, they might have been more inclined to give Fox a blank check. However, adding Harper gives them some leverage in extension negotiations with Fox. That makes early August a quietly pivotal time for the Spurs as they weigh the best way to build around Wembanyama moving forward.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

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