Spurs rumors: Why Dylan Harper could make De'Aaron Fox ‘expendable'
One of the big questions for the San Antonio Spurs entering the 2025-26 season is how they will handle the logjam that currently exists in their guard department. Last year, San Antonio saw Stephon Castle win Rookie of the Year and traded for De'Aaron Fox midway through the season, then they selected guard Dylan Harper with the second overall pick in the ensuing NBA Draft.
With all of these talented guards on the roster, there has been speculation that one of them could become the odd man out, and recently, ESPN NBA insider Jeremy Woo shed some light in that department, citing a Western Conference scout.
'[Harper] has some [Manu] Ginobili to his offensive game,' said the scout. 'If the 3-point shot ever becomes a true weapon [for him], he makes Fox expendable and gives San Antonio a nice trade asset.'
Woo also noted that 'Harper's pick-and-roll prowess and crafty, powerful style of play made him the choice for the Spurs, who have been optimizing for additional playmaking around Victor Wembanyama moving forward,' and that even if he comes off the bench this year, the Spurs still view him as a foundational piece of their future.
An awkward situation for the Spurs
Being too talented is almost always a good problem to have, but it's still something that the Spurs must address as it pertains to their guard depth chart, and whether some of those resources would be better allocated to other parts of their roster.
At the current juncture, Fox figures to get the starting point guard nod for San Antonio, with Castle possibly sliding in beside him in the backcourt. However, Harper was one of this year's most highly touted draft prospects for a reason, and it's possible that at some point, he will force the Spurs coaching staff to give him increased minutes.
If things reach that point, it's not hard to envision other teams inquiring about Fox's availability.
However, in the present moment, Spurs fans can be happy that their team is clearly taking its effort to build around Wembanyama seriously, even if they may have created a guard logjam in the process.
Related: The Spurs rookie viewed as biggest 2025 NBA Draft steal
Related: How Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant are embracing the Spurs legacy
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Phillies sweep Rangers with 4-2 win
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Zack Wheeler struck out seven and allowed three hits, Edmundo Sosa homered, and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Sunday to sweep the three-game series. Wheeler (10-5) had six or more strikeouts for the 19th straight start this season, with his last outing with less than six coming on April 13 when he had three against St. Louis. Trailing 2-0 early, the Phillies answered in the fourth with an RBI double from Bryce Harper. They tied it in the fifth on Sosa's solo homer, and took the lead for good with Weston Wilson's RBI single two batters later. Brandon Marsh added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly that scored Harrison Bader in the ninth inning, and a strong Phillies bullpen performance was capped off by Jhoan Duran's 20th save of the season to secure the win. Duran, acquired from Minnesota on July 30, has allowed just one baserunner in four appearances for Philadelphia. 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The Braves, who swept Saturday's doubleheader, won four of five games in a series that included a rescheduled game forced by a rain postponement on April 6. Derek Hill hit a two-out double off Wentz in the second and scored on Liam Hicks' single. Ozuna hit a three-run homer and Harris added a solo shot off Tyler Zuber in the seventh. TIGERS 9, ANGELS 5 DETROIT (AP) — Kerry Carpenter homered and drove in three runs to help Detroit beat Los Angeles. Carpenter doubled and scored in the first, hit a sacrifice fly in the second and added a three-run homer in the fourth. Casey Mize (11-4) got the win, allowing two runs on three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five. Jack Kochanowicz (3-10) took the loss. He gave up seven runs on 10 hits in three-plus innings. The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first, stringing together four straight two-out hits that included RBI singles by Riley Greene and Zach McKinstry. Carpenter's sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the second, and the Tigers added four more in the fourth. Javier Baez reached on an error, took third on a base hit by Cole Keith and scored on Gleyber Torres' single. Carpenter followed with his 21st homer, giving Detroit a 7-0 lead. Nolan Schanuel hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Logan O'Hoppe made it 7-3 with an RBI single in the sixth. Greene hit a two-run homer in the sixth while Luis Rengifo hit a two-run shot in the eighth. ATHLETICS 3, ORIOLES 2 BALTIMORE (AP) — Willie MacIver hit a two-run, ninth-inning double off Keegan Akin to rally Athletics to a series-clinching victory over Baltimore. MacIver's liner down the left-field line against Akin (3-2) scored Darell Hernaiz and Lawrence Butler, the latter of whom pinch ran for Gio Urshela and ran through third base coach Eric Martins' stop sign. The relay throw came in ahead of Butler, but was in the dirt and slightly off line. 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He walked three, struck out three in a game in which he relied mostly on changeups and sinkers over 87 pitches. Altuve, as designated hitter, homered to left in the first and became the 11th player whose primary position is second base to reach 250 homers. Altuve had two hits and scored three runs, including on a double by Christian Walker in the third and on a single by Ramón Urías that fell in between shortstop Anthony Volpe and left fielder Cody Bellinger in the ninth. Rookie Cam Smith had a two-out bases-loaded single that scored two runs in the fifth to help the Astros win for the fourth time in six games. Carlos Correa hit his second homer since being acquired from Minnesota, and Mauricio Dubón knocked in a run in the three-run ninth Fried (12-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings and lost for the third time in four starts. The Yankees managed three hits and lost for the seventh time in nine games and were booed after the final out. 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William Contreras had two homers for the Brewers, a solo shot to open a three-run fourth, and a two-run homer in the fifth, his 12th, to pull Milwaukee within 6-5. The Mets scored in each of the first four innings for a five-run lead against Quinn Priester, who had won his previous 10 decisions. New York scored two in the first on RBI singles by Juan Soto and Jeff McNeil. Brett Baty opened the second with his 12th home run and Ronny Mauricio's RBI single made it 3-0 in the third. REDS 14, PIRATES 8 PITTSBURGH (AP) —Miguel Andujar hit his first home run with Cincinnati, Spencer Steer and Noelvi Marte had three hits and four RBIs each, and the Reds outlasted Pittsburgh to earn a split in the four-game series. Andujar, who hit a three-run shot to the rotunda in left field in a four-run second inning, hit six homers for the Athletics before being traded at the deadline. He was also in the middle of the Reds' decisive three-run rally in the sixth inning that broke a 4-4 tie. Elly De La Cruz and Andujar hit back-to-back singles off Yohan Ramírez (1-1) to begin the sixth and, one out later, Marte hit a tiebreaking double. Steer followed with a two-run double to put the Reds ahead 7-4. Steer hit a two-run homer in the eighth to make it 9-5 and Marte connected on a three-run homer during a five-run ninth. The teams combined for 30 hits, including 16 by the Pirates led by Isiah Kiner-Falefa with three hits and two RBIs. Scott Barlow (6-0) retired only one of three batters he faced. Reds starter Zach Littell gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. Pirates starter Mike Burrows lasted five innings and allowed four runs on three hits while striking out six. NATIONALS 8, GIANTS 0 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — CJ Abrams homered and the Nationals spoiled a milestone achievement by San Francisco's Justin Verlander as Washington won. Josh Bell and Paul DeJong had three hits apiece to highlight a 17-hit day for Washington. James Wood had a pair of two-run doubles as the Nationals won a series at Oracle Park for the fourth straight season. Verlander (1-9), the three-time Cy Young Award winner who has struggled in his first season with the Giants, struck out the side in the first inning and became the 10th pitcher in MLB history with 3,500 strikeouts. The milestone mark was the lone bright spot for the 42-year-old Verlander, who was unbeaten in five career starts against the Nationals before Sunday. He allowed 11 hits and five runs with six strikeouts and a walk. MacKenzie Gore (5-12) had 10 strikeouts and pitched six scoreless innings for his first win since July 9. Cole Henry, PJ Poulin and Clayton Beeter each retired three batters to complete the three-hit shutout. DIAMONDBACKS 13, ROCKIES 6 PHOENIX (AP) — Adrian Del Castillo hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Arizona set a franchise record with nine consecutive hits during an eight-run fifth inning for a win over Colorado. 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MARINERS 6, RAYS 3 SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 45th home run in a four-run first inning and Seattle hung on for a victory over Tampa Bay. It was Seattle's seventh straight win, the longest active run in the American League. Josh Naylor also homered for the Mariners, who wrapped up a 9-1 homestand. Seattle starter Bryan Woo (10-6) allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings with nine strikeouts. It was his 23rd start this season of six innings or more. Raleigh's two-run home run came off Rays starter Adrian Houser before Eugenio Suarez added a two-run single for the Mariners in the first. Raleigh, who homered in all three games of the seriers, hit No. 44, a three-run shot, in the third inning of the Mariners' 7-4 victory over the Rays on Saturday. The Rays chipped away at Seattle's lead. Ha-Seong Kim's double in the second scored Brandon Lowe to close the gap. Yandy Diaz added an RBI grounder in the third. Kim hit a solo homer in the fourth to make it 4-3. Naylor gave the Mariners some breathing room with a solo homer in the seventh. Dominic Canzone had an RBI single in the eighth for the final margin. Hauser (6-4) allowed four runs on six hits over five innings with four strikeouts and three walks. PADRES 6, RED SOX 2 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Dylan Cease was impressive for six innings before San Diego's All-Star-laden bullpen got into and out of trouble in the seventh and the Padres beat Boston to take two of three. The Padres have won 11 of 14 games as they continue to chase the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Cease (5-10) cruised into the seventh with a shutout on just three singles and a walk before walking Jarren Duran and allowing a single to Trevor Story. All-Star Jason Adam came on and hit Masataka Yoshida with his first pitch to load the bases and then two runs scored when shortstop Xander Bogaerts committed a fielder error on a potential double-play grounder by Romy Gonzalez. Wilyer Abreu singled to load the bases again before Adam struck out Ceddanne Rafaela and pinch-hitter Abraham Toro. All-Star Adrian Morejon came on and struck out rookie Roman Anthony to end the inning. Cease allowed four runs, two earned, on four hits while striking out seven and walking two. San Diego scored its first five runs with two outs, with starter Brayan Bello (8-6) on the hook for all five. BLUE JAYS 5, DODGERS 4 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani led off the game with his 41st homer, but Ernie Clement hit the tiebreaking homer leading off the ninth inning, and AL-leading Toronto hung on to avoid a series sweep with a victory over Los Angeles. Mason Fluharty earned his first career save in spectacular fashion after replacing erratic Jays closer Jeff Hoffman in the ninth with the bases loaded and one out. The rookie left-hander struck out Ohtani with a full-count breaking ball before getting Mookie Betts on a game-ending grounder. After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a tying homer and Addison Barger followed with a go-ahead shot for Toronto off struggling Blake Treinen in the eighth inning, Clement hit the first pitch from Alex Vesia (2-2) in the ninth into the left-field bleachers. Hoffman (7-4) walked Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded to blow Toronto's lead in the eighth, and he walked three of the Dodgers' first four batters in the ninth. Ohtani drove Eric Lauer's fourth pitch 400 feet. The three-time MVP's third homer in four games tied him with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead. Freeman also homered in the first. CARIDALS 3, CUBS 2 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Gorman singled home the winning run, lifting St. Louis to a victory over Chicago to wrap up its three-game series. In the seventh, Jordan Walker singled with two outs. He stole second and scored when Gorman singled to right field to knock Shota Imanaga (8-5) out of the game. Imanaga went 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. He gave up the three runs on four hits. Sonny Gray (11-5) threw seven innings to earn the win. He allowed two runs on five hits, struck out seven and walked one. JoJo Romero pitched the final 1 1/3 innings to record his third save despite giving up a walk and two singles in the ninth. Pinch-runner Jon Berti was caught stealing for the second out. After two hits, Romero got Matt Shaw to ground into a fielder's choice to escape the jam. Shaw pulled Chicago even at 2-2 with a home run into the left field bullpen in the fifth. Pedro Pagés gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead when he homered after Thomas Saggese led off the third inning with a single.
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$200M star under fire as Astros chase AL West title
$200M star under fire as Astros chase AL West title originally appeared on The Sporting News The Houston Astros are hoping that bringing Carlos Correa back to the Lone Star State allows the player to rediscover his past playoff form. Moreover, Correa's return isn't to relive old memories; it's to help the Astros win the AL West and fend off the Seattle Mariners. After Sunday's action, the Astros have a 0.5-game lead over the Mariners, so Correa needs to be one of the top players for Houston to ensure that they hold onto the division lead. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller put Correa as one of the 30 players under pressure in this final stretch of the season. "In their first year without [Correa], they won 106 games and a World Series with rookie Jeremy Peña filling Correa's shoes," Miller wrote. "But now, they've put a staggering number of eggs back in the Correa basket, reacquiring their former star and most of what was left on his $200M contract, hoping that a return to his old stomping grounds would be just what the doctor ordered to get him out of what had been a season-long funk." MORE:Jose Altuve clubs milestone homerun at Yankee Stadium Sunday Through nine games for Houston, the 30-year-old has found his Astros form as he's batting .405 with 15 hits, two homers, 6 RBIs, and six runs scored since his return before the MLB trade deadline. "So far, so good on the individual front. Correa posted a .931 OPS in his first week back with Houston and just might be the savior that stops the bleeding of what was a stretch of 15 losses in 22 games," Miller added. "If he starts to struggle, though, and the Astros get overtaken by the Mariners in the AL West before a quick exit from the postseason, don't be surprised if the prodigal son becomes the scapegoat." When it comes to a tightly contested division race, every game and at-bat matters because unexpected losses or slumps could be what determines the winner. If Correa reverts to his Twins form when the Astros need him the most.
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Matt Shaw's slick backhanded play
Matt Shaw slides to his left to backhand a sharp ground ball and rips a strong throw to first, retiring Jordan Walker for the final out of the 4th inning
