The San Antonio Spurs have been mentioned as one of the possible destinations for De’Aaron Fox. The Sacramento Kings recently announced they are open to listening offers from teams. Since then, there have been several reports that the Spurs are his preferred destination. What would that trade look like? Should the Spurs label any players untouchable? Let’s make the case for Stephon Castle to be untouchable in trade talks.
Spurs Should Hold On to Stephon Castle in Any Fox Trade Talks
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the best-positioned teams to make any trade, not just a Fox trade with the Kings. They have plenty of draft picks, young players, and high salaries to make any trade work. Outside of the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Spurs might have the biggest draft capital to offer in a trade.
The framework for the Fox trade should certainly be Chris Paul, and then some young players. The Kings, for their part, will surely ask for players like Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, or Devin Vassell.
If the Spurs are serious about winning a championship with Victor Wembanyama and Fox as their one-two punch, Castle is the one they should try to keep at all costs. The Spurs would rather trade Vassell and his new contract, but that is not a contract the Kings might want. Here is the case for Castle.
Stephon Castle Unlocks Fox
Castle might be only a rookie, but he is the second most important player on the roster behind Wemby. His coaches and experts around the league praise his winning personality. Castle’s numbers might not make you scream a star, but he is a star role-player. The Spurs had one of those on their roster, with Derrick White, and they let him go to Boston. Castle is a big guard, one that can be a Swiss army knife and could elevate Fox’s game.
Some people have compared Castle to Jrue Holiday. While he is only a rookie, you can see the signs. What Castle can do for Fox is what Andre Iguodala did for Steph Curry and the Warriors for several years. That is to allow Fox to put his mind on offense and guard the star perimeter player. Before Iggy was traded to Golden State, he was an All-Star but not someone you would consider a No.1 option. Castle might be the same, he is a 6-foot-6 guard who can guard bigger, smaller, and faster opponents. Fox is only 6-foot-3, and he might have trouble guarding bigger guards. Without someone like Castle to do the dirty work, the star point guard will have to work more on the defensive end, leaving him gassed on offense at the end of games.
Recently, Chris Paul praised the young rookie for his defensive efforts. He said,
“You guys know in this league, it is not a lot of guys that play both ways. With Steph being a rookie, I just love that he ain’t ducking nothing. It’s like, whatever.”
Castle Needs a Reliable Three-Point Shot
Castle will impact plenty of games with his defensive play. He is a proven winner on the defensive end, and he was a National Champion at UConn before getting to the NBA. If the Spurs do trade for Fox, Castle will have to develop a more consistent and reliable three-point shot. With the way Fox is playing and creating opportunities for others, having a good shooter around will be great.
For comparison, Iggy was never a great shooter. But he was reliable; his best shooting year overall was 39.4% in Philadelphia, and his best shooting season with Golden State was 36.4% from beyond the arc. So far this season, Castle is hitting threes at 25.9%. The good news for him is that the Spurs are great at developing shooters. They helped Kawhi Leonard become a good shooter from behind the arc. Castle is only a rookie, but if the Spurs get Fox, he will have to speed up his development.
Photo credit: © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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