The San Antonio Spurs are rich in guards, with De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. However, it’s also an impending problem.

All three have legitimate cases to be on the floor when the Spurs are at full strength. The complication is that their timelines are very different.

Fox is the established veteran. The 28-year-old averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 assists last season and is entering the first year of a four-year, $229 million extension that keeps him in San Antonio through 2029-30. He was brought in to give Victor Wembanyama an elite-level point guard and help turn the Spurs into immediate contenders.

Castle, meanwhile, is the No. 4 pick from 2024 — where also won R.O.Y — and already looks like a foundational piece. He averaged 16.7 points and 7.4 assists in his second season. At 21, he fits naturally into the same timeline as Wembanyama.

Then there’s Harper, the No. 2 pick from 2025.

The rookie didn’t just have a promising season. He became increasingly important when the stakes were highest. Harper averaged 18.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in the NBA Finals against New York, shooting 49.3% from the field. He scored 21 points in Game 4 before dropping 25 in Game 5, becoming the first rookie since 1993 to score at least 25 points in a Finals game.

Fox, on the other hand, struggled badly in the same series. He averaged only 12.8 points and shot 34.3% from the field, including 25% from three. He scored seven points on 3-of-15 shooting in the decisive Game 5.

One Finals series shouldn’t erase everything Fox has accomplished, but it does make San Antonio’s long-term decision more complicated.

The Spurs can certainly try playing all three together. Their size and playmaking make the concept intriguing, and the coaching staff has already indicated an interest in three-guard lineups. But eventually, there is still the question of hierarchy.

Harper draw some headlines this past week when he said that he’s not “coming off the bench” during a GQ magazine interview. He later clarified that it was a joke, though it’s pretty obvious what he’s doing.

If Castle and Harper are supposed to become Wembanyama’s backcourt partners for the next decade, where does that leave Fox?

Trading a 28-year-old point guard immediately after signing him to a massive extension would be an extreme move. Yet Fox’s contract, age, and declining place in the Spurs’ timeline could eventually make him the obvious trade piece if San Antonio decides its future belongs to Castle and Harper.

For now, the Spurs have three guards worth starting. The harder question is which two they want starting when the next championship window arrives, and how will they keep everyone happy.