Stephon Castle has followed up his Rookie of the Year season by increasing his productivity in every statistical category including his scoring efficiency. The San Antonio Spurs are extraordinarily convinced Castle is one of their foundational pieces alongside Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs may have an excess of guards in Castle, Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox, but that does not mean any of them will be made available in a move that could perhaps balance out their roster.
“I’m not sure they would trade him for anybody in the league,” said Brian Windhorst on The Ryen Russillo Show of Castle. “Parents love their child. Breaking news. Teams love their rookie. You go around and you hear ‘Oh man, we love this guy. We love this guy.’
“I can’t tell you how much the Spurs loved Castle when they got them. I mean right out of the gate they were like ‘Oh my god do we love this guy.’ They are convinced that he is the perfect guy to have with Victor.”
The Spurs’ opinion of Castle informs their reluctance to make a major trade for a player such as Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“They love everything about his make up. They love everything about the way he competes. They love everything about his willingness to improve. They love Stephon Castle.
“Yes, I think the Spurs are in a position where there’s three guards who are all really good and they’ve got these draft assets and there’s going to be this temptation do you do something to try to accelerate your championship pursuit?”
Ultimately, Windhorst does not expect the Spurs to consider parting ways with Castle.
“I would be stunned if they gave Castle for almost anything,” said Windhorst.