[Amick] The Kings are known to covet Stephon Castle, but there is serious skepticism in league circles that San Antonio will be willing to include him. If that’s ultimately the case, the Kings would have to determine whether there’s an acceptable pathway to doing the [De'Aaron Fox] deal without him
As expected, league sources say those trade talks include the team that is known to be Fox’s preferred destination: the San Antonio Spurs. Yet while it remains to be seen if Fox will become Victor Wembanyama’s co-star in the next week, or if the Spurs might be able to push the negotiations into the offseason as a way to simplify their roster-building process while not losing out on Fox to another team, key factors here will have to be figured out if Fox is going to land in San Antonio.
Chief among them? The possible Stephon Castle inclusion, or potential lack thereof.
The Kings are known to covet the Spurs rookie guard who was taken fourth overall out of Connecticut in the NBA Draft last June, but there is serious skepticism in league circles that San Antonio will be willing to include him. If that’s ultimately the case, the Kings would have to determine whether there’s an acceptable pathway to doing the deal without him. That’s not the end of San Antonio’s considerations, either.
Veteran point guard Chris Paul, who signed a one-year deal worth $11 million to join them in July, has been a driving force in that progress while earning significant respect within the organization along the way. For the Spurs’ purposes, it would be easier to integrate Fox in the summer while letting the 39-year-old Paul finish this productive season in his twilight. Fox, who turned down multiple extension offers from the Kings leading up to this point, has one season left on his contract ($37 million).