This summer, there have been countless calls for the San Antonio Spurs to trade De'Aaron Fox. After a lackluster NBA Finals performance in which Dylan Harper outplayed him, it's pretty clear that the Spurs are just as good without him and can shed his massive salary if possible.

Of course, the Spurs have tread carefully this summer. They are not openly shopping Fox, and have made it clear that they value him as an integral part of both their present and future.

In the organization's mind, five bad games shouldn't be enough to cut ties with an All-Star. Last year, Fox was the full-time starting point guard, and San Antonio won 62 games. Clearly, there is success to be found.

Stephon Castle, Fox's backcourt mate, inadvertently made his feelings clear about the veteran.

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The "core" in San Antonio is widely regarded as Harper, Castle, and Victor Wembanyama. Guys like Fox, Julian Champagnie, and Devin Vassell are all key players, but they aren't "untouchable" like the young trio is.

Castle seemingly opened up the core to Fox, allk while showering praise on his team.

"Obviously, it's a blessing to play for an organization like that," Castle told Slam.

"The greats that we've had come through that organization; what they still do for that organization to this day. They come back, they give us tips, you know, they watch our games, they're at our practices all the time. It really feels like a family for that organization. You can tell that they really believe in us. I mean, just instilling that confidence into our young guards. Dylan, me, Fox, instilling that confidence into us. I think it's only going to speed up the process and, you know, cement our legacy over there."

Young guards? Fox is only 28 years old, so he's certainly not washed. Harper and Castle have long been touted as the backcourt of the future, but it seems that the Spurs' mentors have taken Fox under their wing as much as they have the youngsters.

Rather than lumping Fox into the category of "the greats," Castle put him in the same conversations as he and Harper. There's no "after Fox." It's about the three of them.

This could just be an instance of Castle maintaining the Spurs' public image that Fox is a central part of their long-term plans. But considering that he referred to Fox more as a mentee than a mentor, everything seems genuine.