Will the Spurs trade De’Aaron Fox this offseason as his four-year, maximum-salary contract takes effect? While acknowledging that trading for Fox was the right move and stating that the team wouldn’t have made the NBA Finals without him, Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) argues that San Antonio will need to trade 28-year-old at some point during the next few years and might as well “rip off the bandage” this summer if the right opportunity arises.

However, even with Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle increasingly looking like the Spurs’ backcourt of the future, the front office isn’t operating as if a Fox trade is necessary in the short term, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. According to Wright, the club remains committed internally to Fox being its starting point guard, with sources referring to the veteran as a “calming presence” and noting that he was San Antonio’s closer for most of the season.

There will likely be a push from Harper’s camp to make the second-year guard a starter next season, Wright says. But with Castle still on his rookie scale contract for two more years and Harper on his for three more seasons, there should be no urgency yet to make a move involving Fox, Wright adds.

We have more on the Spurs:

• After averaging just 11.5 minutes per game during the regular season and 8.5 MPG in the playoffs as a rookie, Carter Bryant is expected to take on a more significant role in his second year, according to Wright, who refers to the former Arizona standout as the Spurs’ second-best perimeter defender behind Castle.
• The Spurs’ success this season and the opportunity to play alongside Victor Wembanyama has made San Antonio a desirable destination for free agents, sources tell Wright. Multiple big men are interested in joining the Spurs, Wright says, noting that the team may need to add a couple frontcourt players this summer, including a stretch four such as Rui Hachimura.
• Wright confirms that the Spurs are interested in re-signing Harrison Barnes, an unrestricted free agent, echoing previous reporting from the Express-News.
• The city of San Antonio has pledged $489MM in public funds to the Spurs’ planned $1.3 billion new arena, but San Antonio mayor Gina Ortiz Jones would like to see Austin billionaire Michael Dell cover a portion of that total to reduce the city’s commitment, writes Molly Smith of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Dell, who owns a 10% stake in the Spurs, is one of the world’s richest men, with a net worth of $245.9 billion, per Forbes. “Normal folks in the community have routinely asked, be it at public comment or at other forums, ‘Why can’t we ask (billionaires) to pay more,’” Jones said. “So, I in fact did that.”