The San Antonio Spurs want to get back to the NBA Finals.
They were there a year ago but just came up a little short against the New York Knicks.
This season, the Spurs have brought back a similar core with a few changes, and they lost their first two games before rattling off 10 wins in a row.
Victor Wembanyama remains otherworldly, which is always a good place to start.
But as this season chugs along, the question will arise: Should the Spurs make any moves to change this roster?
In a new article on Thursday, ESPN’s Michael C. Wright gives a pretty clear answer.
Spurs Trade Plans
The way ESPN’s Michael C. Wright sees it, the Spurs don’t have room for a trade right now.
With the way they’ve built this roster, there already aren’t enough minutes to go around. While a trade is fun in theory, it has to make sense in the rotation, and it might not for now in San Antonio.
This is how Wright explained it:
San Antonio plans to play out the season with what’s on the roster despite owning plenty of assets to make a move at the trade deadline. The Spurs appear to be somewhat thin at the center spot behind Luke Kornet, but the staff has been pleased with the progress made by rookie Tarris Reed Jr. in such a short time.
San Antonio understands that over the next two years, the roster could become expensive, with the club expected to sign Stephon Castle to an extension this summer, followed by an extension for Dylan Harper in the summer of 2028. Besides that, the Spurs are already experiencing somewhat of a numbers problem due to all the depth they’ve accumulated.
“There’s not enough minutes to go around,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to play the bad guy and I’m not always going to be right. But I’ve got to make tough decisions in regards to only 240 minutes.”
In that context, what would the Spurs even do? Their biggest task is figuring out how to utilize all their current players optimally.
Spurs Do Have Trade Assets
If the Spurs decided to go against the above logic and make a trade anyway, they do have a lot of intriguing pieces.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes: “If the Spurs do look to make a move, they have an unprotected 2027 first-round pick from Atlanta and three additional tradeable first-rounders. They also have swap rights in 2028 (via Boston, if Nos. 2-30), 2030 (the most favorable of San Antonio, Dallas, Minnesota (if Nos. 2-30) and 2031 (via Sacramento). San Antonio has 12 tradeable second-rounders.”
While the Spurs are super impressive, they’re actually still on the young side. Those assets could help their core in the future, too — so don’t necessarily expect San Antonio to do something just because it has the capability to do so.
Spurs Have Clear Trade Plans