All offseason long, the San Antonio Spurs have been urged to trade away De'Aaron Fox and hand the keys of the offense to Dylan Harper, but the second-year guard doesn't think things are that simple.
If San Antonio Spurs fans had their way, De'Aaron Fox would have been traded away as soon as the NBA Finals ended. After a lackluster performance, fans became convinced that San Antonio can't win a title with him leading the offense, preferring instead to see Dylan Harper have a bigger role.
But what does Harper say about the matter?
Fact: Harper exceeded expectations, especially in the playoffs. He's probably already a better player than Fox, and if he isn't, he certainly has a higher ceiling.
Another fact: Harper only thrived because he got to be mentored by Fox, and the Spurs were able to put Harper into favorable situations, relying on Fox when things got hairy. It's why, despite Fox owning the starting role, Harper isn't ready to see him traded away just yet.
Harper Reveals Thoughts on NBA Trade Rumors
Everyone and their mother knows that it's only a matter of time before Harper replaces Fox as the starter in San Antonio, but Harper isn't in any urgent rush. He gave the veteran props for showing him the ropes.
"Fox basically took me under his wing my whole first year and helped me and allowed me to grow in this space," Harper told Brandon Robinson. "And my thing is, me and him never had a problem. I’ve never seen a problem playing with two to three ball-handlers on the floor. Everyone last year said that it was not going to work, this, that, and the third, but I think it worked pretty fine this year."
Now, we can read between the lines a bit. Of course, Harper is going to flatter; there's nothing to gain from advocating for a trade. It would just make things awkward.
But the Spurs did win 62 games with Fox as the starting point guard in the regular season. While the Finals were disappointing, Fox was the team's second-best player, behind only Victor Wembanyama, all season long.
And with the Spurs winning, Harper doesn't mind staying with the second unit.
"All I care about is doing what’s best for the team and winning, and he is a big factor, and he’s a big piece in us winning now and in the future," Harper added about Fox. "I don’t have anything bad to ever say about him because, at the end of the day, he’s taught me so much."
Harper wouldn't be heartbroken if the Spurs were to trade Fox away and make him the starter, but in a quest for his first championship, being a backup (for now) isn't so bad.
