Spurs’ Stephon Castle Thrives as Trade Rumors Swirl

Rookie Stephon Castle has continued the strong start to his career, despite trade talks.

Jan 31, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

With ESPN reporter Shams Charania’s earlier reports on Kings’ guard De’Aaron Fox’s availability, rumors have swirled all week.

JUST IN: The Sacramento Kings are expected to open up talks to potentially deal All-Star De'Aaron Fox ahead of Feb. 6 trade deadline, sources tell ESPN. There will be plenty of suitors, but it's believed that Fox has a target destination in mind ahead of 2026 free agency. pic.twitter.com/Oh3fXgZjm3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2025

Per Charania and a number of other credible reporters said that the All-Star’s preferred destination was San Antonio.

Despite Fox having just one year left on his deal, he’ll likely still command a large package, leading many to believe San Antonio’s No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle could be on the table.

Despite seeing his name in and out of headlines all week long as Sacramento's potential target, the rookie has kept his head down and continued to work through a strong season.

In the team’s 144-118 win over the Eastern Conference Bucks, Castle starred, adding 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists in do-it-all fashion. He shot just 5-for-14 overall — continuing to struggle with efficiency overall — but managed to hit on half of his six 3-point attempts. Even more, he got to the line aplenty, hitting on seven of 10 attempts there.

While the box didn’t necessarily show it, he was still able to add some of his patented defense.

Fox has long been a star in the league — most recently 25 points, six assists and five rebounds — but it’s easy to see how San Antonio would want to hang onto Castle in any potential deals. Using the fourth pick on him just months ago, they drafted him alongside Victor Wembanyama as a high-floor guard with strong defensive tendencies, as well as an improvable canvas on the offensive end.

The Spurs would ideally be able to add Fox while keeping Castle on the roster, but even then their point guard experiment would likely end sooner than expected. While Fox may ultimately be the answer for San Antonio as a drop-of-the-hat advantage creator, Castle is still vitally important to the team’s future.

With the win, San Antonio is now just three games away from a .500 record, which is likely to bolster the team’s standing in general even more

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.