Tag: Irrational

No matter what the San Antonio Spurs choose to do at the 2025 NBA trade deadline, there will be backlash. Rumored to be the frontrunner to acquire Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio will either complement Victor Wembanyama with an All-NBA player in their prime or ponder what could’ve been.

Equal in importance to that decision is who the Spurs would be giving up to acquire Fox—and if Stephon Castle would be a part of the outgoing trade package.

Castle, 20, is arguably the most valuable player that San Antonio has on its roster after Wembanyama. A dynamic talent with clear two-way potential, the former Connecticut Huskies star looks the part of an invaluable talent who could develop along the same timeline as the franchise player.

Unfortunately, when an All-Star is being traded, the outgoing cost often includes players like Castle to help sweeten the pot—or even to simply get the other team on the line in the first place.

It’s rational to believe that the Spurs should bite the bullet, include Castle in their trade offer, and bring Fox to San Antonio. They’d have an All-Star in their prime running the offense and creating turnovers on defense, as well as one of the best fourth-quarter scoring threats in the NBA.

The rationally irrational decision that must take priority, however, is one that would ensure that Castle will remain in San Antonio, even if it costs the Spurs a trade for Fox.

Stephon Castle is too valuable for Spurs to give up on this soon

Let’s get the obvious part out in the open: There’s a high probability that Castle will never reach the level that Fox has comfortably sustained. It’s a high bar, as the 27-year-old has averaged 25.1 points and 6.1 assists, never once ranking lower than ninth in points per fourth quarter, over the past five seasons.

As such, it’s difficult to argue that the Spurs should avoid going all-in on Fox just because Castle might be able to develop into an impact player himself.

The reality of the modern NBA, however, is that teams need multiple point-of-attack defenders, playmakers, and shot-creators to contend—and there aren’t many players who check all three boxes. Castle may or may not become the borderline elite player that Fox is, but he has all of the tools to thrive in each of those three areas.

A 6’6″ and 215-pound perimeter menace with clear defensive potential, a championship pedigree, and the early ability to create for himself and others, Castle fits a rare archetype.

Even with his inconsistency as a shooter, it’s evident that Castle can be the proverbial Swiss army knife and thus a unique complement to the ultimate unicorn in Wembanyama. With Castle, the Spurs could have a player to task with defending an opposing team’s best perimeter scorer, no matter what position they play.

Perhaps he won’t give San Antonio 25.1 points and 6.1 assists per game, but he’s already taking a step forward that suggests he can get closer than some might presume.

Stephon Castle is already providing significant immediate value

Castle has scored at least 20 points in five of the Spurs’ past eight games. A five-game sample size may not be enough to deter San Antonio from trading him, but it’s worth noting that he’s dropped 20-plus against postseason-caliber teams in the LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Milwaukee Bucks.

Moreover, this appears to be more of a natural progression than a short-term display of quality, as Castle has been inching closer to finding his niche on offense throughout the season.

As a rookie on a team with postseason expectations, Castle is already proving that he’s up to the task of filling a key role. The Spurs are 0.3 points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the court than when he isn’t, which is a small but still impressive number considering he’s a first-year player.

Since Jan. 1, that number has grown exponentially, as the Spurs are outscoring teams by 1.0 point per 100 possessions with Castle on the court and are being outscored by 11.8 when he isn’t—a 12.8-point disparity.

If that seems absurd, know that you’re on the right track. The only player without whom the Spurs are posting a worse net rating since Dec. 1 is Wembanyama at minus-15.8.

Furthermore, the Spurs rank in the 67th percentile in net rating when Castle and Wembanyama are on the court together. Add Chris Paul to the unit and that three-man lineup is outscoring opponents by 4.8 points per 100 possessions and ranking in the 89th percentile in offensive rating—leaving one to optimistically imagine a scenario in which Fox plays alongside Castle rather than replacing him.

It may seem irrational to keep a rookie out of a trade for an All-NBA player, but if the Spurs trust their developmental capabilities, they’ll make Castle untouchable at the trade deadline.