Latest news with #DylanHarper
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs' Dylan Harper explains why he chose to wear No. 2 in the NBA
Dylan Harper has worn No. 2 throughout his recent stops in high school and college, and the former Rutgers guard opted to keep that trend going with the San Antonio Spurs. Harper donned that jersey number while leading Don Bosco Prep to the NJSIAA State Final during the 2023-24 season. He kept that number at Rutgers last season en route to becoming a third-team All-American honorable mention by the AP. The 19-year-old is the first Spurs player to wear No. 2 since Kawhi Leonard (2012-2018). The number holds added importance for Harper following the draft on June 25. "I chose jersey No. 2 because that is the number I've been wearing for 4-5 years," Harper said in a video posted by the NBA on TikTok. "It represents me: My birthday is March 2, so it kind of all falls into one big bucket. I got drafted No. 2; that is probably the biggest significance of No. 2 now. I wore No. 2 in college and all of high school, so it has definitely been I think a trademark." Harper was a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists and 1.4 steals in 29 appearances. He registered 20 20-point games, setting the Rutgers single-season scoring record by a freshman (564 points). The 6-foot-6 standout debuted with the Spurs in the NBA Summer League, averaging 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal on 35.7% shooting from the field. He dealt with a minor groin injury and was limited to two appearances. Harper is projected to be a franchise cornerstone for the Spurs and play a significant role for coach Mitch Johnson next season. He will do so with a familiar number on his jersey. Note: Throughout August, Rookie Wire is looking at every first-round pick and why each player selected their respective jersey number as they make the jump to the NBA. This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Spurs news: Dylan Harper explains why he chose to wear No. 2 in NBA
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs rumors: Why Dylan Harper could make De'Aaron Fox ‘expendable'
The post Spurs rumors: Why Dylan Harper could make De'Aaron Fox 'expendable' appeared first on ClutchPoints. 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
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dylan Harper Could Make De'Aaron Fox Tradeable In The Coming Years
Dylan Harper Could Make De'Aaron Fox Tradeable In The Coming Years originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Dylan Harper's arrival in San Antonio has already begun to stir questions about the long-term future of De'Aaron Fox with the Spurs. A recent quote from an anonymous Western Conference scout brought that tension to the surface, stating: 'Harper has some Ginobili to his offensive game. If the 3-point shot ever becomes a true weapon, he makes Fox expendable and gives San Antonio a nice trade asset.' That's a bold assertion, but it's grounded in context. Fox joined the Spurs in a blockbuster three-team trade in February, forming what looked like the backcourt-frontcourt dream pairing with rising superstar Victor Wembanyama. And to his credit, Fox delivered early results, averaging 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in just 17 games before a left pinkie injury required season-ending surgery. Though it was a small sample size, his on-court chemistry with Wembanyama gave Spurs fans hope that a new era was underway. But this is the NBA, and things change fast. Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, isn't just a top prospect, he's an elite three-level scorer who could reshape San Antonio's timeline. At Rutgers, Harper averaged 23.5 points per game on an impressive 52% shooting from the field, along with 36.4% from deep and 75.9% from the free throw line. More importantly, he plays with the kind of mature, controlled aggression that makes scouts salivate. He doesn't just score, he creates. His tight dribble, control over tempo, and ability to get buckets from anywhere on the floor have drawn comparisons to crafty guards like Ginobili. And Harper isn't just a scorer. He's averaging 4.4 assists per game, showing he can distribute even while carrying the scoring load. His change of pace and one-on-one scoring toolkit, highlighted by crossovers, hesitations, and spin moves, makes him a potential offensive engine for years to come. That brings us back to Fox. The 26-year-old guard is on the final year of his contract, due $37 million this season. He's eligible for a massive four-year, $228.6 million extension and has publicly stated he's open to staying in San Antonio long term. The Spurs, according to multiple reports, are hopeful he signs. But Harper's presence complicates things. If Harper thrives, he could fill the same primary playmaking role Fox currently occupies, at a fraction of the cost and with more long-term upside. Fox is still an All-Star caliber player, but the math changes when you're building around a generational big man like Wembanyama. If Harper proves he can run the offense, shoot from distance, and thrive next to Wembanyama, San Antonio could shop Fox as a premium trade asset, one who could return depth, picks, or a wing star better suited to complementing Wemby. For now, the Spurs are playing it safe, developing Harper while keeping Fox as the present-day lead guard. But make no mistake: the countdown has begun. If Harper explodes as expected, San Antonio's future may belong to the rookie and not the story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
02-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Spurs' Dylan Harper explains why he chose to wear No. 2 in the NBA
Dylan Harper has worn No. 2 throughout his recent stops in high school and college, and the former Rutgers guard opted to keep that trend going with the San Antonio Spurs. Harper donned that jersey number while leading Don Bosco Prep to the NJSIAA State Final during the 2023-24 season. He kept that number at Rutgers last season en route to becoming a third-team All-American honorable mention by the AP. The 19-year-old is the first Spurs player to wear No. 2 since Kawhi Leonard (2012-2018). The number holds added importance for Harper following the draft on June 25. "I chose jersey No. 2 because that is the number I've been wearing for 4-5 years," Harper said in a video posted by the NBA on TikTok. "It represents me: My birthday is March 2, so it kind of all falls into one big bucket. I got drafted No. 2; that is probably the biggest significance of No. 2 now. I wore No. 2 in college and all of high school, so it has definitely been I think a trademark." Harper was a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists and 1.4 steals in 29 appearances. He registered 20 20-point games, setting the Rutgers single-season scoring record by a freshman (564 points). The 6-foot-6 standout debuted with the Spurs in the NBA Summer League, averaging 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal on 35.7% shooting from the field. He dealt with a minor groin injury and was limited to two appearances. Harper is projected to be a franchise cornerstone for the Spurs and play a significant role for coach Mitch Johnson next season. He will do so with a familiar number on his jersey. Note: Throughout August, Rookie Wire is looking at every first-round pick and why each player selected their respective jersey number as they make the jump to the NBA. Previous: Cooper Flagg
Forbes
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Dylan Harper Could Complicate De'Aaron Fox's Extension Talks With The Spurs
Other than the Dallas Mavericks, no team was a bigger winner on the night of the 2025 NBA draft lottery than the San Antonio Spurs. Despite entering the lottery with the eighth-best odds of any team, they wound up jumping six spots to land the No. 2 overall pick. To absolutely no one's surprise, the Mavericks wound up taking Duke forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick. The Spurs proceeded to take Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper, the consensus second-best prospect in this year's draft class, at No. 2. Harper was a no-brainer for the Spurs from a best-player-available perspective, which is the strategy that teams typically employ that high in the draft. However, Harper isn't the cleanest fit with their incumbent backcourt, as he hit only 33.3% of his three-point attempts during his lone season at Rutgers. The Spurs already had two point guards who struggled from distance in Stephon Castle, whom they spent the No. 4 overall pick on in 2024, and De'Aaron Fox, whom they acquired in a deal with the Sacramento Kings ahead of the February trade deadline. Castle shot 28.5% from deep on 4.1 attempts per game as a rookie, while Fox is a career 33.0% three-point shooter who has shot 32.5% or worse from downtown in five of his seven NBA seasons. The Spurs presumably aren't oblivious to the potential fit issues that they've created in their backcourt by selecting Harper. They're just betting on his talent and are willing to see how their new rotation shakes out. With Harper locked into a cost-controlled rookie-scale contract for the next four years and Castle still on his for the next three, the Spurs should be in no huge rush to figure out which of them are long-term keepers. However, Fox might not be so fortunate. On Aug. 3, he'll become eligible to sign a four-year extension that's projected to be worth more than $220 million. But now that the Spurs have both Harper and Castle in the fold, it's unclear if he should expect that type of payday. De'Aaron Fox's Extension Talks Looming This past fall, Fox turned down a three-year, $165 million extension offer from the Kings, as he stood to make far more money this offseason. Shortly after the Kings traded him to the Spurs, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on SportsCenter that he "would expect Fox to sign a big contract extension in the summer," as "it was pretty much understood that was the way it was going to go." That was before the Spurs landed Harper in the lottery, though. To some extent, the Spurs have competing priorities at the moment. They need to think long-term as they look to build around 21-year-old big man Victor Wembanyama, a once-in-a-generation prospect who was on a glide path to win Defensive Player of the Year this past season before he was shut down after the All-Star break due to deep vein thrombosis. However, Wembanyama is so uniquely impactful on both ends of the floor that the Spurs already have legitimate playoff aspirations, particularly after acquiring Fox. The Spurs didn't make major offseason splashes like the Houston Rockets, who acquired Kevin Durant, or the Atlanta Hawks, who landed Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. They did sign former Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet to a four-year, $40.7 million deal and traded 2022 first-round picks Blake Wesley, Malaki Branham and a 2026 second-rounder to the Washington Wizards for veteran big man Kelly Olynyk, but their biggest improvements came through the draft. Harper wasn't the Spurs' only lottery pick this year. They also had the No. 14 overall pick from the Atlanta Hawks courtesy of the Dejounte Murray trade, which they spent on Arizona wing Carter Bryant. The 19-year-old figures to slot in early on as a three-and-D option behind the likes of Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson, although he could have a clear path to a starting job as early as next season. Barnes just turned 33 in May and is heading into the final year of his contract, so he might not be long for San Antonio. The Spurs' biggest issue to sort out now is their backcourt. They figure to begin the year with both Fox and Castle in their starting lineup, but how long can they afford to bring Harper off the bench (if at all)? Can they start all three together? What would that mean for Vassell, Barnes, Johnson, Bryant and/or Jeremy Sochan? Having too many starting-caliber players is the NBA's definition of a champagne problem, but it could be a nine-figure one for the Spurs soon. New Player Valuations Could Impact Fox's Extension The NBA's latest collective bargaining agreement appears to be making teams think twice before they hand over a blank check to any star in free agency or extension negotiations. The punishing team-building restrictions that come about by crossing the new second apron have legitimate teeth. The Spurs thus have to ask themselves two questions: Are they comfortable committing to Fox for the long haul? Even if they are, at what price point would they risk having his eventual trade value crater? Realistically, the Spurs could move forward with the 19-year-old Harper and 20-year-old Castle alongside Wembanyama as the foundation of their young core. Add in Bryant (19), Vassell (24), Johnson (25) and Sochan (22), and they'd have an impressive young supporting cast, with or without Fox. Even if the Spurs aren't committed to Fox long-term, they shouldn't want to risk losing him for nothing next summer in free agency. If anything, it would behoove them to sign him to a shorter-term deal that expires once Wembanyama and Castle are no longer on their rookie-scale contracts. That might help him maintain more trade appeal, too. If Fox begins to decline at any point over the coming years, his contract could quickly turn into an albatross. At this time last year, the Philadelphia 76ers were being widely praised for their signing of Paul George in free agency. Barring a major injury, Fox's value isn't likely to plummet that precipitously anytime soon. But if the Spurs get him to sign a below-max extension, that should only bolster his trade value across the league. The less money they give him, the more other teams may covet him. Had the Spurs not landed Harper in the draft, they might have been more inclined to give Fox a blank check. However, adding Harper gives them some leverage in extension negotiations with Fox. That makes early August a quietly pivotal time for the Spurs as they weigh the best way to build around Wembanyama moving forward. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
