What do Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have in common? For one, they're all starring for their teams in the Conference Finals. For another, they're all doing it for a different team other than the one that drafted them. In each case, they impressed early in their careers but were traded (or not re-signed to clear cap space, in the case of Brunson) to allow teams to pursue other stars.
It's safe to say that the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers may be regretting those decisions right now, and that should be a big lesson for the San Antonio Spurs in how they handle Stephon Castle.
Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year, averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game in his first campaign, flashing tremendous instincts, versatility and defensive upside. He looks like he could be a very important piece for the Spurs, but also appears to be a complementary one. Nothing about his offensive game screams primary scorer or initiator. Outside shooting was the biggest question mark on his pre-draft profile, and that was borne out as he shot just 28.5 percent from beyond the arc, 38.8 percent on pull-ups inside the arc and 72.4 percent from the free throw line.
He can do a lot of things and there is every reason to believe he'll get better but, at least right now, he doesn't look like the kind of perimeter creator you build around. That's not necessarily a huge concern for the Spurs, who have the luxury of Victor Wembanyama, as well as De'Aaron Fox and the opportunity to take the best perimeter creator in the 2025 NBA Draft, Dylan Harper, with the No. 2 pick.
There's also a decent chance they could work their way into trade conversation for Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant this summer with a package built around Castle, that No. 2 pick and future draft picks. If they want to compete right away, plugging one of those stars in next to Fox and Wemby is a pretty tempting proposition. But they might come to regret it.
Trading Stephon Castle could come back to haunt the Spurs
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a very strong rookie season for the Clippers — averaging 10.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. He was a strong defender with plenty of upside as an offensive connector. It wasn't clear if he had the individual scoring chops to shoulder the load as a primary creator, but it was clear his future was bright.
But at the end of that season, the Clippers leapt at the chance to put Paul George next to Kawhi Leonard and sent SGA to the Thunder along with a slew of draft picks. Six years later, the Thunder are NBA Finals favorites and SGA is the MVP. All of that individual scoring acumen manifested, and he's become perhaps the NBA's premier 1-on-1 scorer.
The Kings made a similar gamble with Tyrese Haliburton. He was a perfect running mate for De'Aaron Fox, but Fox was their point guard of the future and the chance to land an All-Star big man like Domantas Sabonis was well worth the price of a talented, complementary guard. Now the Pacers are in the second Eastern Conference Finals in two years and Haliburton is one of the best points guards in the league, arguably well ahead of Fox.
The Mavericks wanted to keep Jalen Brunson but maybe felt his ceiling was too low, and his skills overlapped too much with Luka Dončić, to outbid the Knicks for his services in 2022. They used the financial flexibility he left them to trade for Kyrie Irving, and we all know what came next in that story.
The Kings, Mavs and Clippers are all ostensibly still playoff teams. But they're well outside the inner circle of serious contenders and may need to deconstruct their rosters, clearing the detritus from transactions that were obvious mistakes in hindsight.
Stephon Castle might not be SGA, Ty Haliburton or Jalen Brunson ... but he could be something else
This is not to say that Castle is going to turn into a perennial MVP candidate or a one-man offensive engine the way SGA and Haliburton have. And putting Durant or Giannis on this San Antonio roster arguably opens their championship window a lot wider than George did for the Clippers or Sabonis did for the Kings.
But it should absolutely be a cautionary tale for the Spurs. Castle is already incredibly productive. He's going to get better, not just better at the things he already does, but also at the things he doesn't. Potentially evolving into a completely different kind of player, one who could support a future contender in ways even the most forward-thinking executive might not be able to visualize right now.
There is incredible value in player development and playing the long game. Lucky for Spurs fans, this organization knows that well. But some mistakes are doomed to be repeated, and everyone is susceptible to grass-is-greener rationalizations at some point in their lives. The Spurs might win a championship by trading Castle, but there's no reason to think they can't also win one by keeping him.