Stephon Castle is making a Spurs trade deadline move more likely by the day

The San Antonio Spurs' early injury misfortune has come with a clear silver lining. The 2024 fourth-overall pick, Stephon Castle, has been given significant minutes to start the season and has exceeded expectations at every turn.

Castle has taken advantage of his opportunity at every turn

After Jeremy Sochan went down with an injury, the Spurs promoted Castle to the starting lineup, and in six games as a starter, he's averaging 13.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 29.5 minutes per game. That might not blow away outsiders, but it is clear that Castle is going to be a good player for a long time. 

His activity level on defense and his ability to attack the paint and create for others have made him an intriguing player. One who should continue to earn significant minutes as a season progresses. Though, despite his obvious skill level, that may be hard to do with Devin Vassell back in the rotation and Tre Jones and Sochan eventually returning. 

That puts a cap on his potential to earn minutes unless, of course, the Spurs consider moving starting point guard Chris Paul around the trade deadline. That would probably be a mistake given how Paul has helped to mentor the young Spurs, but the SA is still in the latter status of a rebuild, and playing time is a must for their best young players. 

If Castle continues to play well, then the Spurs should find as many minutes for him as possible, and that is unlikely to come from the shooting guard position with Vassell there. That means that he may have to play point guard to average at least 30 minutes per game.

Should the Spurs consider trading CP3 to make playing time for Castle?

The season is still young, but the Spurs should consider trading Paul around the deadline or even earlier if Castle continues to shine. Paul helping the Spurs get off to a solid start, mentoring the young players, and being traded to a contender for an asset while clearing out playing time for Castle would be a successful stint.

That would be risky with San Antonio losing a veteran voice in the locker room with coach Gregg Popovich out indefinitely. That is a drawback, but several other Spurs could take on more of a leadership role, such as Keldon Johnson.

Ultimately, Castle has played better than many Spurs fans expected this early on, and the team should look to reward him, even if it means trading Paul.