All Eyes On The Spurs At The Trade Deadline
As the trade deadline approaches, teams are watching to see what the model franchise, the San Antonio Spurs, might do.
The annual mid-season trade period starts in earnest a few weeks before All-Star Weekend and lasts a few days after.
Technically, players can be traded any time before the Feb. 18 deadline, with some restrictions in place for players who signed with new teams last summer (can’t move before Dec. 15) or signed with a new team for more than a 20 percent pay increase (can’t move before Jan. 15).
For most teams, this is a time of intense wheeling and dealing in order to maximize one’s position for a deep playoff run–or just to make the playoffs, period.
Names are bandied about, rumors flow fast and heavy, and everyone who doesn’t have a coveted no-trade clause feels the itch of a target on his back.
Not that a no-trade clause really prohibits rumors (Hi, Carmelo Anthony).
But one of the mainstays of the trade period is that the San Antonio Spurs will do nothing, or at most something very minimal. When you have five championship banners hanging in the rafters and a good shot at adding a sixth, there’s little point to wasting the time of other general managers and players’ agents if there is no serious intent to make a deal.
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The Spurs have gelled ahead of head coach Gregg Popovich’s expectations this season, given that they had to integrate new additions LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, plus rookies Jonathon Simmons and Boban Marjanovic.
Still, as well as the Spurs have been doing so far (a current 43-8 record that is the second-best in the league; top-10 defense and offense; and a mere four games behind the Golden State Warriors for the No. 1 seed), there’s always room for improvement. Namely, extra backup for the aging and ailing members of the Big Three.
Tim Duncan’s eight-game absence for a sore right knee exposed the Spurs’ need for premium rim protection, and Tony Parker’s brief stints on the bench for hamstring and hip issues underscored a need for someone who can shake defenders and get to the basket quickly-and score.
Manu Ginobili is on the shelf for at least the next three weeks, thanks to a wayward knee to the groin while playing the New Orleans Pelicans. His savvy playmaking and energy spark as leader of the the Juice Unit (the high-octane second unit off the bench) cannot be easily duplicated.
In their respective absences, fellow Spurs have stepped up, though this temporary stopgap would not survive the postseason or the quest for a sixth ring.
So what are the Spurs to do?
Make no mistake: other teams may not admit it, but they are paying attention to any move the Spurs make before this year’s Feb. 18 deadline. The Spurs have a knack for turning other team’s trash into treasure, and whomever they keep an eye on could cause other teams to second-guess themselves. They also have a sixth sense for innate raw talent.
No one imagined that Kawhi Leonard, a first-round draft pick who was drafted by the Indiana Pacers but traded on draft night to the Spurs in exchange for George Hill, would blossom into the lethal two-way player he is today–and the recipient of a five year, $94 million max contract, plus a first-time All-Star (voted in as a starter, to boot) and reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Boris Diaw languished with the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets and was on his way out of the league before being acquired by the Spurs once he cleared waivers. Now, “The Borista” is the immediate backup for Duncan at the 4 position and as equally crafty as Ginobili when it comes to either getting a bucket …
… or helping someone else get one.
Danny Green seemed to spend most of his career either in the D-League on on waivers before finally latching on with the Spurs and becoming their go-to three-and-D specialist. The “Tarheel Triple” was among those who took a discount to re-up with the Spurs this summer. Simmons went from a semi-pro journeyman to a key member of the Juice Unit.
Then there’s the matter of the rich getting richer, so the Spurs would be on the radar for any name-worthy acquisitions as well. There have been many names heating up the trade wires, and some of those could help the Spurs for the remainder of the season and possibly beyond. But the Spurs would be loathe to mess with their current crop, and there are no vacant roster spots.
Not to mention, the names worth mentioning may have trouble fitting into The Spurs Way, as these names had more notoriety on their current teams.
Granted, if Aldridge could adapt, others could too, but the mid-season isn’t really the best time for another major integration project.
The Spurs are already paying luxury tax at the end of the 2015-16 season, with all 15 of their player contracts guaranteed. That leaves them with only their bi-annual exception (BAE) to spend, unless they get a disabled player exception (DPE) for Ginobili, which I doubt since he won’t be out all that long.
If I had to wager, I’d say that Rasual Butler would be the most expendable. He’s gotten some increased playing time after wangling his way into a roster spot during training camp but, in the grand scheme of things, he may not be enough for the playoffs push.
Backup point guard Ray McCallum could be tossed into a trade deal as well, but the PG depth is already a bit shaky, so that would just cause more problems.
The question the Spurs would have to ask themselves is if they were willing to go deeper over the tax to get some extra rim protection for the playoffs (I love me some Duncan but that right knee continues to garner concern). Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets is one of the names being dangled on the trade wire, and I could see The Manimal in Alamo City.
But he signed a max contract with the Nuggets last year, and that’s a lot to take on. Plus, he is starting to flourish under head coach Mike Malone and is considered part of the rebuilding efforts.
Al Horford of the Hawks (also known as “Spurs East”) would be intriguing, and he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He’s played in a Spurs Lite system under head coach Mike Budenholzer, yet another branch on the Popovich coaching tree.
Horford likes Atlanta though and, if he were to move, would want to move somewhere that offered him more off-court business opportunities. Is that San Antonio? I don’t know, but he would be a welcome addition to the HEB commercials.
Yes…the more I think about it, the more I like Horford for the Spurs.
I actually wouldn’t mind seeing DeMarcus Cousins with the Spurs.
He would benefit from the tutelage and tough love of Pop (we saw glimpses of this in the 2016 All-Star Game), not to mention the other veterans (do you really think Duncan would stand for his meltdowns? I think not. And if he even fixed his mouth to curse at Pop for some perceived transgression, he’d be missing some teeth.).
Cousins would enjoy finally being on a winning team, and in a winning culture, that preaches hard work and accountability. Diaw might even get him his own espresso machine for his locker. However, the Kings would probably want half of the Spurs roster in return (including Leonard), plus the first born of each of the Big Three, so it’s just a random thought.
Dwight Howard to the Spurs? Please. Sell crazy somewhere else.
The Spurs stay a step or two ahead of the competition, so any move they make will be under a microscope. I can’t wait to see what Pop and general manager R.C. Buford have up their sleeves: aces, jokers, or just silk scarves?
More hoops habit: NBA Trade Rumors: 10 Landing Spots For Blake Griffin
Stay tuned.