The San Antonio Spurs managed to reach the 2026 NBA Finals on a timeline that many would call ahead of schedule.
With one of the new faces of the league in Victor Wembanyama holding down the center position flanked by young, budding-star guards like Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, it wasn’t a stretch to think San Antonio would once again be contending for titles soon.
That they reached the final showdown this year is a testament to the Spurs’ coaching staff and the fortitude of their young players, but the organization may still look to tinker with the roster to achieve their championship goals.
One member of the squad who could be a prime candidate to move elsewhere is veteran point guard De’Aaron Fox.
The former Sacramento Kings standout made his second career All-Star team in 2026 and was a steady presence for San Antonio by starting all 72 of his regular season games played. But with teammate Devin Vassell revealing that Harper “was upset with playing time” this season, perhaps they’d look to trade Fox in order to give the young Harper a larger role.
At least one NBA pundit believes the Phoenix Suns would make sense as a landing place.
Could De’Aaron Fox find his way to The Valley and join Devin Booker’s Suns?
Speaking on his “Game Theory Podcast,” The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie said the team that could “very easily make a case” for trading for Fox is Phoenix.
“Phoenix probably wants a point guard,” Vecenie said. “I know that they could easily re-sign Collin Gillespie, but Collin Gillespie can be an elite sixth man in the NBA and I don’t think anybody’s going to bat an eye at that.”
Vecenie goes on to pitch a trade of Jalen Green and Grayson Allen or Jalen Green and Royce O’Neale as a framework.
Some Suns fans may recoil at the thought of trading Green, a former No. 2 overall pick who’s still just 24 years old, but Vecenie’s co-host Bryce Simon argued that the Spurs would sooner look for a framework of Allen and O’Neale to load up on shooting wings. Whether the Spurs agree with that assessment and don’t see Green as a possible fit is up to interpretation.
Regardless of the framework of any deal San Antonio would consider in exchange for Fox, the money still owed to “Swipa” could be the biggest sticking point.
Fox is no doubt still a very talented point guard who makes an impact on both ends of the court. However, he’s still owed roughly $223 million through the 2029-30 season. That’s an expensive, long-term investment into a guy whose athleticism remains a huge part of his overall game.
Still, the Suns certainly need an established point guard to pair with Booker in the backcourt. That was the blueprint to success in 2021 when the Suns reached the NBA Finals with Chris Paul as their floor general.
It’s true that adding Fox raises Phoenix’s immediate ceiling, but acquiring him may only serve to help San Antonio’s cap situation a couple years down the line when they look to re-sign Wemby and extend their other young guards.
Perhaps a trade framework could be worked out that would benefit both parties, but the Suns haven’t shown that they intend to make yet more big-swing trades while building around Book. Until Phoenix and owner Mat Ishbia publicly adjust that stance, any Fox deal should remain nothing more than fan speculation.
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