Dylan Harper Just Drew a Line in the Sand With the Spurs After NBA Finals Loss

Even after losing the NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs already look like the NBA’s next dynasty.

The New York Knicks just celebrated their first NBA championship in 53 years, defeating the Spurs in just five games. Jalen Brunson won Finals MVP after a 45-point performance in Game 5. Karl-Anthony Towns finally got his ring. And OG Anunoby had one of the greatest shots in NBA history.

But San Antonio has Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper, three bona fide superstars that just took the franchise to its first NBA Finals since 2014, and they’re all under 23 years old.

Harper, in particular, showed up big time in the playoffs, and he’s only just a rookie. He averaged 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the NBA Finals, highlighted by a 25-point performance in Game 5.

However, even though Harper was one of the Spurs’ most explosive and reliable contributors, it was De’Aaron Fox starting over him in the Finals. Harper did all of that while coming off the bench and receiving fewer minutes than Fox, Devin Vassell, and Julian Champagnie.

Don’t expect the same thing next season. According to ESPN’s Mike Wright, Harper’s camp is expected to push harder for a starting role entering the 2026-27 season. The former No. 2 overall pick has officially drawn a hard line in the sand in San Antonio.

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Fox signed a four-year, $229 million maximum extension with the Spurs in August 2025, which officially kicks in next month and keeps him under contract until 2030. His cap hit next season is $49.5 million, and it goes all the way up to $61.4 million by the final year of his contract, at which point he’ll be 32 years old.

That wouldn’t sound so bad if he were one of your foundational pieces. But Fox struggled at times throughout the postseason, particularly in the Finals, while the Spurs’ rookie Harper flashed real poise in limited minutes.

San Antonio's loss to the Knicks also exposed the kind of flaws that could force the Spurs into a major offseason swing, and any monster trade would almost certainly require Fox to be part of the package.

The Spurs have already been linked to the Celtics All-NBA guard Jaylen Brown, the Bucks’ franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. Any deal for a star of that caliber would need to include Fox.

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Wembanyama is clearly the franchise centerpiece. He’s a 7-foot-4 unicorn that can shoot from anywhere on the floor, dribble down the court at full speed, and just became the NBA’s first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. But Harper’s explosive scoring and dynamic playmaking ability at such a young age make him invaluable, and he’s already shown he can thrive in high-pressure situations.

With one full season under his belt, next year looks like Harper’s time to shine. And if the latest reporting is any indication, his camp is making it clear that a starting job is now the expectation.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 2:37 PM.