De’Aaron Fox landed in San Antonio in the middle of last season. The hopes of combining with Victor Wembanyama and creating another great chapter in Spurs’ history made it a perfect landing spot. However, there are already some doubts over his immediate future in the city. Fox is eligible for an extension from August 3. But is it a given for the Spurs to commit to the former Kings star?

The franchise has a problem that most teams would want. They have an overload of talent at the guard position, with Stephon Castle coming off a ROTY season and Dylan Harper impressing in his short stint during the Summer League thus far. So, there’s competition for the 28-year-old Fox, who has yet to feature extensively besides Wemby.

The Hoop Collective crew sat down to discuss how the Spurs can move forward. For Windhorst, the dilemma isn’t about whether to extend Fox or not. He thinks that’s the logical pathway for the Spurs. “You got to get him into a contract because he’s headed for free agency. Otherwise, you don’t want to, you want to get him signed. And there’s going to be a lot of space next year,” he said on the podcast.

According to the analyst, ten teams will have the cap space to sign superstars who enter free agency next season. The Spurs wouldn’t want to lose Fox for nothing, having given up multiple first-round picks to acquire him. But Windy also doesn’t want their front office to create a hindrance in case they do decide to move from him.

“You don’t want to sign Fox to a contract that if you have interest in a year or so to trade him that it becomes an issue,” he mentioned on Hoop Collective. Windy doesn’t want the Spurs to give him a max contract just for the sake of locking Fox’s future. He implores the Spurs to “negotiate” in order to find a suitable figure that might attract teams in the future.

Trading for a max contract player, especially with the second apron, is complicated as it is. But we just saw the Suns having to give up their core because they couldn’t find ways to move Bradley Beal. Albeit he had a no-trade clause. Still, a large figure in this era isn’t as easy to trade as it seems.

Furthermore, the Spurs also have to factor in the talent they have on their roster.

Can De’Aaron Fox really survive with the Spurs?

Extending Fox will surely be a priority for the Spurs. Keeping the business aspect aside, the Spurs haven’t seen Fox and Wemby together. Just as he arrived, the French sensation had to shut off for the season due to an injury. Hence, the front office might look to give the tandem at least another year to find their ceiling.

However, the dilemma they have is their rotation. Within the Spurs, they are confident in their heavy guard rotations. In conversations Tim McMahon had during the Summer League, they view themselves as a deep team.

“I didn’t get a whole sense of concern about the fit. Basically like, hey, two guard spots, 96 minutes, three guys, they’re all gonna play. And then you kind of figure that out as you go. But they’ve got some real depth on this team now,” he revealed on the podcast. But finding a comfortable dynamic will be a puzzle the Spurs are yet to solve.

Fox provides them with experience and a scoring pivot. Castle hasn’t developed as far yet. The reigning ROTY, though, has great defensive tangibles with gifted playmaking. On the other hand, Harper made waves with his scoring acumen and defensive intensity in the Summer League. At some point, their skills do overlap.

From a financial perspective, keeping all of them wouldn’t make much sense. But the Spurs sense they can make a “jump”. Castle and Harper will be on team-friendly deals at least for a few more years. That’s ample time for De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama to lead from the front. It gives the Spurs a top-tier guard rotation that not many teams can match.

So while getting the fit together is tricky, the Spurs have time on their hands. They can make calculated decisions as the team develops next season. Until then, Fox and the Spurs seem destined for the future.

How do you rate the Spurs for next season with Wemby returning healthy? Let us know your views in the comments below.