This De'Aaron Fox reality check is going to crush Spurs fans

The San Antonio Spurs are staring down elimination at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder and are in desperate need of several key players to step up, namely De'Aaron Fox.

Fox should be commended for playing through injury, though even when fully healthy he probably wouldn't have made enough of a difference against OKC. We saw him struggle at times during the playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Even when he didn't, he played more like an above-average starter rather than a star. If the Spurs do get eliminated by the Thunder, the Spurs may soon have to address the elephant in the room, which is Fox.

The Spurs may soon have to address their De'Aaron Fox problem

The Spurs have given no indication that they will be open to trading Fox this summer, but perhaps they should be willing to do so. Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle are clearly the backcourt of the future.

Having Fox is definitely a luxury, but an expensive one. The Spurs would be better served trying to trade him now, while they still can. The problem is that few teams may be willing to take back his max contract, which kicks in after this season.

Ironically, the most likely landing spot—were the Silver and Black interested in trading him—would seemingly be the Houston Rockets. They are in need of a starting point guard and may have some buyer's remorse with Kevin Durant.

A straight-up swap would potentially solve both teams' problems. Look, Durant isn't a popular player among Spurs fans, but if that trade were to materialize, it would help San Antonio in both the short and long term.

The Spurs can't afford to keep De'Aaron Fox long term

The Spurs potentially coming up short to the Thunder shouldn't force them to go back to the drawing board with many of their best players being 22 or younger. However, having Fox potentially blocks Harper from starting for the foreseeable future.

Then there are also the cap concerns. The longer the Spurs hold onto Fox, the harder he may become to move. His contract may eventually force the Spurs to part ways with Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell unless he isn't traded first.

At least with a Durant trade, the Spurs would only have to pay him for one, possibly two seasons, with him having a player option. Compare that to five more years of Fox.

As much as Fox has been willing to sacrifice to play in San Antonio, he seems to be miscast as a second option on a contending team. As a result, San Antonio should look to move him this summer to better build around their young core or risk paying for it later.

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