Spurs' dream Giannis Antetokounmpo trade comes with a painful reality check

The San Antonio Spurs are likely to be one of the teams at the forefront of potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors and negotiations. San Antonio is equipped with an intriguing balance of promising young players and draft assets that could appeal to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Unfortunately for the Spurs, any successful trade for Antetokounmpo will likely require the inclusion of at least one of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.

Castle is the reigning Rookie of the Year, which is all that needs to be said to summarize the reason San Antonio wouldn't want to lose him. Harper, meanwhile, was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft and is already excelling in a guard-heavy rotation.

Unfortunately, the Spurs aren't the only team aware of the value that Castle and Harper can provide in both immediate and future settings.

Giannis trade would likely cost Spurs Stephon Castle or Dylan Harper

Zach Kram of ESPN recently offered a take on what the Spurs could offer in a potential trade for Antetokounmpo. The outgoing package consisted of Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, and Jordan McLaughlin, as well as first-round draft picks in 2027, 2029, and 2032.

Thankfully for fans hoping to remove a certain name from that proposal, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line has since reported that the Spurs are unwilling to include Castle or Harper in a potential trade for Antetokounmpo.

"Just as the Bucks were unwilling to entertain Giannis trade inquiries before last June's draft, various sources with knowledge of San Antonio's thinking staunchly maintained that the Spurs were thoroughly unwilling to surrender the No. 2 overall pick that became Dylan Harper. They were also equally against the idea of parting with Stephon Castle, too. Even for Giannis."

Fischer continued, providing the one update that many Spurs fans were hoping for:

"There has been little indication to date that the Spurs are any more willing now to consider parting with their prized young guards."

For as encouraging as Fischer's report may be, it's difficult to envision a scenario in which the Spurs complete a trade for Antetokounmpo without losing Castle or Harper.

Spurs reportedly unwilling to trade Stephon Castle or Dylan Harper

If Antetokounmpo is ultimately traded, Milwaukee will have an endless list of interested suitors. At 30 years of age, he's already an NBA champion, Finals MVP, two-time regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and nine-time All-NBA honoree.

As such, the Bucks are likely to ask for the moon and the stars, and settle for nothing less than the clouds when negotiating with any team that calls them.

With this in mind, San Antonio won't have the luxury of benefiting from a deflated market that can limit their outgoing resources. Instead, it'll have to make a competitive offer knowing how many teams are equipped with promising talent and draft picks.

Perhaps a package built around Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and draft picks could get the job done, but it's difficult to envision such a scenario playing out.

Milwaukee would effectively be hitting the reset button by trading arguably the greatest player in franchise history—in the prime of their career, no less. As such, it will inevitably and understandably look to kickstart the rebuilding process by adding talent with both long-term and immediate value.

Castle and Harper are not only the players capable of checking those boxes, but are the two up-and-coming Spurs standouts with clear star potential.

For a Bucks side that's losing the face of the franchise, adding the reigning Rookie of the Year or the No. 2 pick in this past June's NBA Draft would be undoubtedly appealing. It'd not only give it a new player to build around, but a launching pad toward remaining relevant in the Eastern Conference.

San Antonio would walk away with an unrivaled trio of Antetokounmpo, De'Aaron Fox, and Victor Wembanyama, but it would all but certainly be losing Castle or Harper in the process.