Just over six months ago, the San Antonio Spurs made a big swing before the trade deadline by involving themselves in a three-team deal to acquire All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox. Today, by signing Fox to a 4-year max extension, they have committed to a backcourt composed of him and Stephon Castle, who played 17 games at the end of last season, along with rookie Dylan Harper.
Considering all three have shown they play best with the ball in their hands, especially Castle and Harper, both having struggled with their three-point shooting in their first year in the league and college, respectively, Spurs fans must wonder if this was the best decision.
The Spurs want an All-Star guard next to Wemby, and now they have three cracks at finding the perfect pairing
The Fox acquisition was the best thing San Antonio could've done. The 27-year-old wished to be traded there after demanding to be moved from the Sacramento Kings, and the Spurs only gave up role players (Sidy Cissoko, Zach Collins, Tre Jones) and only one of their own picks (in 2027). They gave up that to get a 6-3 guard coming off of two straight seasons averaging 25+ points on over 46.0 percent shooting, with over 32 percent three-point shooting, and over five assists while being one of the most clutch players in the league. He was the first recipient of the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year in 2023 to prove it. With him slated to hit free agency next summer, it only made sense to lock on to that investment, especially after he averaged 19.7 points and 6.8 assists in 17 games with his new squad before being shut down.
He will be paired with Stephon Castle, a 6-6 combo guard that ended up having a very good rookie season that won him the Rookie of the Year award by averaging 14.7 points, 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals. Though he was inconsistent throughout the season, and ended up shooting just 42.8 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from three, it's not rare for rookie point guards to struggle in their first months in the NBA. His frame, height along with a 6-9 wingspan comparable to Klay Thompson, Kris Dunn, Lonzo Ball and Marcus Smart, gives him the potential to develop into a good perimeter defender, which would work wonders along with Fox. His offense should develop naturally, elevated by consistently playing with Fox and Victor Wembanyama, with whom he only shared 39 minutes on the court, and by having played with Chris Paul.
The questions start after selecting Dylan Harper in this past draft. Picking at No. 2 after the Dallas Mavericks, they were met with the eternal dilemma of picking based on needs or talent. VJ Edgecombe or Kon Knueppel would've been better fits, but they ultimately went with betting on talent and Harper. Though he was sensational in his one-and-done season at Rutgers — scoring 19.4 points on 48.4 percent from the floor per outing — and averaged 16 points in two games of Summer League action in a Spurs uniform, his floor spacing ability can be questioned. He shot 33.3 percent from three in college, and his shooting in Las Vegas wasn't better (35.7 percent, 1-8 from three).
The fit between Fox and Castle still needs time to develop, particularly on defense: in 237 minutes with Fox and Castle together last season, San Antonio had a defensive rating of 130.89, and a -12.9 net rating. 197 of those minutes were without Wemby, were that defensive rating increased to 135.5. To be fair, it is a small sample size in the second half of a season were Fox had just arrived to the team, which had gone through a coaching change mid-season, and had their best wing defenders in Wembanyama (46 games), Jeremy Sochan (54 games) and Devin Vassell (64 games) all play less than 65 games. Now to that they add Harper who, like Castle, has the tools to turn into a good defender, but it isn't considered one of his strengths currently. While they have good defense next to them, if Wemby and Sochan stay healthy, Carter Bryant, their 14th overall pick this summer, is as good as advertised and with Mitch Johnson having a full offseason to prepare, they need to hold their own at the point of attack.
All three, after the Fox extension, are all under contract for the next three seasons at minimum, with Castle set to be a restricted free agent in 2028. Of course, in this NBA, that doesn't mean none of them are untouchable until that point. If a player of equal or near value in another position is available, the Spurs have the pieces, including one of the three, to pull a move.
While the goal isn't to immediately compete for a championship, the Spurs front office should do everything in their power to maximize the supporting cast around Wembanyama. If a situation develops where their contention window opens ahead of schedule, they shouldn't wait to see if all three guards can play on the same team. But, for the next year at least, we can see if they can play with each other.