5. Trade Rudy Gay
As mentioned earlier, the Spurs are not going to be competing for a title in the next couple of years. As such they need to garner young assets to speed up the process and get them back in the playoff picture.
Rudy Gay has one year left on his deal, worth $14 million. This is not bad value for a team who might need some solid play off the bench. Gay averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in just 21.8 minutes last season.
A team like the Memphis Grizzlies could use another bench spark who has the ability to space the floor and is happy to play a role. Gay also has the ability to score in bunches, which takes the pressure off the young stars on the Grizzlies squad.
.@RudyGay scored double-figures off the bench in 13 straight games this season, the longest streak in a season in franchise history.#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/h94tmIy8Ic
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 17, 2020
In return the Spurs could receive Justise Winslow who is on a $13 million deal with a $13 million team option the following year. This would be a risk given Winslow’s injury history but he is ten years younger.
While Winslow does not help the Spurs from deep, he is a willing and competent passer, giving 4.3 and 4.0 assists per game in his last two seasons. He is also a better defender than Gay which helps the Spurs out in their biggest area of concern last year.
The Spurs have been really good for a very long time. Last season they were unable to gain any momentum, having only four three-game win streaks. On the other side of the ledger they had a five game and an eight game losing streak.
The Spurs should be more competitive this season, but with the strength of the Western conference, may miss the playoffs again. The moves they make this offseason will hopefully set them up for a playoff run in the 2021-22 season.