Spurs just made De'Aaron Fox statement that clears up Dylan Harper rumor

The San Antonio Spurs seemingly have no regrets about the De’Aaron Fox trade and, despite taking Dylan Harper, hope to keep him as a long-term piece alongside Victor Wembanyama. Keith Smith of Spotrac spoke with a front office executive who said as much:

“When we made that trade, we knew what the contract status was, of course,” a Spurs front office executive told Smith. “We see De’Aaron as someone who can grow with our young players and be a real leader for us. We’re hopeful we can make something happen to keep him in San Antonio for a long time.”

Seemingly, the Spurs are thrilled to have both Fox and Harper on the team moving forward.

How will Spurs look with De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper?

When the Spurs won the second overall pick in the draft lottery, heads began to spin. Obviously, landing a player of Harper’s caliber can change the course of a franchise. But the Spurs had just traded for their point guard of the future in Fox, and Stephon Castle is going to be fresh off his Rookie of the Year campaign.

So, how can all three guards co-exist? Can Castle play the small forward position? Should he or Castle come off the bench? Would the Spurs consider trading Fox and doubling down on their youth movement even more?

One NBA scout even told Jeremy Woo of ESPN that, if Harper develops his three-point shot, Fox could be a trade chip: 

"[Harper] has some [Manu] Ginobili to his offensive game," a Western Conference scout told Woo. "If the 3-point shot ever becomes a true weapon [for him], he makes Fox expendable and gives San Antonio a nice trade asset."

Well, based on what the Spurs executive told Smith, that concept seems out of the question. San Antonio is a fan of Fox. They were when they traded for him, and they still are now, despite the positional question marks now plaguing the roster.

As they push forward with Wembanyama leading the way, they see Fox as an essential piece of the puzzle. Someone they desperately want to hold onto—even next to Harper and Castle.

A lineup of Fox, Harper, Castle, Jeremy Sochan (or whoever else the Spurs want to run at the power forward position), and Wembanyama is one of the most interesting cores in the NBA. It’s just a matter of whether or not it will work.

But that seems to be a question the Spurs are more than willing to explore.