“It’s kind of easy to play off each other,” said Castle about playing with Dylan Harper.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are set to bloom into NBA stars at the rate they are developing.
Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is already turning heads with his poise, clutch performances, and ability to drive to the rim with ease.
Castle, the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year, is having an exceptional sophomore season despite dealing with injuries.
He continues to deliver on both ends of the floor with tenacious perimeter defense, scoring, an attacking mindset, and improved facilitation.
The two young guards are certainly part of the Spurs’ long-term plans, which makes sense, as any trade talks between San Antonio and another team would be expected to be considered off limits.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, neither Harper nor Castle is on the trade talk table.
“I will also just say, as a quick aside, as you’re going to the trade machine over the next what is it, a couple of months here, don’t bother putting Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle in any trades. And if that means you can’t come up with things to get some huge blockbuster done for the Spurs, I would say, yeah, that’s right. Those guys are going to be in San Antonio, I believe, for a long, long time.”
Harper, 19, debuted on October 22, 2025, with 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists in a 125-92 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Ahead of the NBA Cup game against the Lakers, he has scored in double figures in five of his last six games and notched at least six assists five times in 13 appearances.
On Dec. 8 versus New Orleans, he had one of his best games with 22 points, three rebounds, six assists, and 62.5% shooting.
He’s averaging 13.4 points per game, along with 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds, and has scored in double-figures in four of the last five games.
Castle, 21, has quickly become a key contributor for the Spurs. He has a career 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Among guards, he ranks 11th in offensive rebounds and has recorded five or more assists in the last five games.
It remains an open question if Castle and Harper are entirely off limits. What if another team offers the Spurs a young, multi-time All-Star? What if a team does what Dallas did and offers a player on Luka Doncic’s level?
However, this season, the pair are showing they can make it work on and off the court.
“Me and Dylan (Harper), we hang out a lot off the court. So on the court, just with our IQ and how we like to share the ball, and obviously we have the same common goals, trying to win, so it kind of made it easy for us to click on the court,” said Castle. “We want to see each other win and just what our is with the ball, it’s kind of easy to play off each other. So I think when you like your teammates off the court, it’s a lot easier to play with them.”
Ultimately, the two young guards are here to stay and help bring the Spurs back to the NBA mountaintop and chase banner six.