The Spurs have reached an uncomfortable point after their five-game NBA Finals loss to the Knicks. Victor Wembanyama remains the franchise’s unquestioned centerpiece, but the roster around him now faces difficult questions. A fresh idea has offered one particular aggressive answer, proposing a blockbuster that sends De’Aaron Fox to New Orleans. And brings back a $226 million duo that could dramatically reshape San Antonio’s championship blueprint.

Under the proposal created by Bleacher Report, Fox and Luke Kornet would head to the Pelicans.

The Spurs would receive Trey Murphy and former Spurs guard Dejounte Murray. Meanwhile, the Pels would collect a significant package of draft capital. That bag includes a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick, a 2030 first-round pick, a 2031 first-round pick, and three second-round selections.

The sheer size of the financial exchange is what makes this idea particularly fascinating.

Dejounte Murray would arrive carrying a $32.7 million cap hit for the 2026-27 season. Trey Murphy would add another $27 million after entering the first year of his four-year, $112 million extension.

Together, those salaries form the foundation of the roughly $225.7 million ($226 mil) incoming package outlined in the proposal. Meanwhile, De’Aaron Fox carries a massive $221.7 million extension.

A chance for the Spurs double the threat.

That matching framework allows San Antonio to contemplate a dramatic redistribution of its payroll without simply abandoning significant salary in return. Instead of placing such a large financial commitment behind De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs would spread that investment across two players with very different strengths.

New Orleans would receive Fox, Kornet and the draft assets, making this far more than a simple player-for-player swap. The Pelicans would gain a lead guard capable of taking over an offense while also securing multiple future opportunities to reconstruct their roster through the draft.

The Spurs would have to decide whether that price is justified. 

Why is trading De’Aaron a necessity?

Fox averaged just 12.8 ppg on 34.4% FG in the Finals against the Knicks. For a player attached to a $221.7 million commitment, that production created a difficult question for the Spurs at precisely the worst possible time.

His biggest problems surfaced when the team needed him most. A late Game 4 miscalculation led to a dramatic OG Anunony block. And Fox went scoreless in the fourth quarter of the decisive Game 5.

A massive contract becomes much harder to justify when the player receiving it also creates an obvious way for opponents to make life more difficult for the team’s best player.

Dylan Harper’s emergence adds another layer to the decision. The rookie averaged 18 points in the Finals, giving the Spurs a young guard who now has a legitimate argument for a larger role.

Moving De’Aaron Fox would clear the way for Harper and Stephon Castle to take greater control of the backcourt.

It would also give the Spurs immediate reinforcements. Murphy’s career three-point shooting percentage of around 40% would provide Wemby with the spacing he needs, drawing defenders away from the paint rather than allowing them to collapse around him.

Murray offers something different. 

His defensive ability, rebounding, and secondary playmaking would give the Spurs another versatile piece without demanding the same offensive role Fox occupied.

That combination makes the proposal less about simply cutting with De’Aaron Fox and more about changing the architecture around Wembanyama. The Spurs would sacrifice enormous draft capital but gain two established starters while creating a clearer path for Harper.

Fox’s contract alone would complicate the decision. His struggles in the finals make it considerably harder to ignore.

For the Spurs, the proposed blockbuster presents a double pivot: move away from an expensive guard who just struggled on the biggest stage while simultaneously building a deeper roster around Wembanyama.

It would be an enormous gamble, but the Fox-Murphy-Murray equation gives the Spurs a reason to at least consider it.