Spurs Rightfully Hold Onto Stephon Castle in De'Aaron Fox Trade

The San Antonio Spurs swung a mega-move, pulling off a trade to land De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings as was speculated for the past week. In the process, the Spurs pulled off a big win by holding onto rookie Stephon Castle while still netting a talent like Fox.

Castle is averaging 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. He’s been at his best on the defensive end, where his length and natural athletic ability gives him a massive leg up - coupled with his ability to read actions.

The San Antonio Spurs rookie just plays winning basketball, full stop. The ability to cling to him while making this blockbuster trade, is a massive win for the Spurs.

Sure, there are plenty of questions around a Fox-Castle backcourt, mainly from beyond the arc where Castle strokes the 3-ball at just a 27 percent clip and Fox sits at 32 percent from deep. However, the fact San Antonio is able to give them a chance to gel is all you can ask for.

Even if this clunky fit never meshes, the Spurs can parlay Castle into a separate trade to sure up its roster. Look at the Oklahoma City Thunder holding onto Josh Giddey last trade deadline despite some obvious fit concerns - in the summer time Sam Presti shipped Giddey to the Windy City in favor of defensive ace Alex Caruso.

Castle projects to hold much more value than Giddey, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has a truly elite NBA trait. Keeping this asset - no matter what happens on the court - should be factored into the passing grade for the Spurs.