Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul has heard the chatter about his client, De’Aaron Fox, during and after the 2026 NBA Finals. While critics have questioned the Spurs star’s late-game decision-making and offensive inefficiency, in addition to his post-game interview responses, Paul is not ready to let it slide just yet. During the latest episode of Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, the agent flatly rejected the growing narrative that San Antonio needs to blow up its roster, starting with Fox. While doing so, he also made some wild comparisons that might be tough for a frustrated fanbase to accept.

“I wouldn’t make one change,” Paul stated directly when asked about the future of the roster. “Now, you could say that eventually they’re going to have to change because of just how the books are now. Like, De’Aaron’s $229 million max deal starts this summer. But when you really take a step back and blink for a quick second, Fox is Tony Parker, Stephon Castle is Kawhi Leonard, Dylan Harper is Manu Ginobili and Victor Wembanyama is Tim Duncan.

“It’s just that framework all over again in a way. When you take a step back from that, you kind of get, ‘Okay, this is what that could be a glimpse of.’ If you keep the peanut gallery out of it, and this is not me being Mr. Bias or putting my agent hat on, people have bad series and critique comes in the sport… there’s a lot of experts with no decision-making power.”

Co-host Max Kellerman also echoed Paul’s sentiment regarding the overall quality of the team, noting that a bad series shouldn’t overshadow the current lineup’s potential. Fans, however, hardly agree.

With Fox’s extension next month paying $51 million in 2026-27 (making him the highest-paid guard in the league), angry Spurs fans have loudly questioned whether the front office should explore trading the guard before his salary compromises the team’s cap space. Fan vitriol peaked during the Finals as Fox struggled significantly with his shooting efficiency, largely owing to an ankle injury. His dip in production and poor shot selection wasn’t what turned the fanbase against him, though.

That came in Game 4, when the Spurs had a lead to tie the series, Fox had the possession and could’ve dribbled out the clock. Instead, he went for a shot, got blocked by OG Anunoby, “In Game 4, with the Spurs holding a one-point lead to potentially tie the series, Fox secured possession with a chance to run out the clock. Instead, he forced a shot, got blocked by OG Anunoby, and the Knicks capitalized to hand San Antonio a devastating one-point loss.

In that moment, Spurs fans lost all faith in Fox’s playmaking. In fact, after Game 5, Charles Barkley also joined the growing chorus of criticism.

“I hate to say this, but he has got to go with Castle and Harper,” he said. “He’s got to take Fox out of the game. I hate saying that cuz I’m a big De’Aaron Fox fan, but if you’re Coach Johnson, you can’t be worried about people’s feelings out here.”

Yahoo Sports podcaster and writer Kevin O’Connor didn’t mince his words either.

“De’Aaron Fox has made so many bonehead plays this series you’d think he’s the rookie guard, not the veteran,” he wrote on X.

However, despite the intense scrutiny from the public, Rich Paul painted a broader, historical picture of the Spurs’ roster construction, explicitly mapping the current young core to the franchise’s legendary championship dynasty.