With the new year now finally upon us, speculation ahead of the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline is in full swing. Whether San Antonio Spurs fans are in consensus about what the team ought to do before the Feb. 6, 2020 cut off or not, anticipation mounts across all fanbases that there will be fireworks.
In this post, just one of a series of 30, we’ll break down the reports that have started to trickle out about Spurs players that may or may not be on the move. While there’s no guarantee when it comes to a league as wild as the modern NBA, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on each squad’s roster as the deadline draws near.
Players Unlikely To Be Traded
- LaMarcus Aldridge
- Lonnie Walker
- Dejounte Murray
- Keldon Johnson
- Derrick White
It’s been five seasons since the Spurs made an in-season trade, so you could argue that the entire team belongs in this section. However, San Antonio hasn’t been this mediocre in quite some time; things could change. Perhaps they look to make additions in order to compete for the eighth seed in the conference, though I wouldn’t expect major moves if any at all.
Biggest Name Available On Market
- Jakob Poeltl
Again, a trade isn’t likely, though Jakob Poeltl will be a restricted free agent after the season. Depending on how the Spurs gauge the market for him, perhaps they look to trade him prior to the deadline next week.
As a side note, can you believe that the draft pick that the Raptors used to acquire Poeltl was the first-round selection that Toronto received in the Andrea Bargnani deal with the Knicks? Poeltl’s inclusion in the Kawhi Leonard trade greased the wheels for Toronto’s trade for the Finals MVP so I guess the Raptors can thank the Knicks for their banner.
Logical Trade Pieces
- DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan has the ability to hit the free agent market this summer, which should at least make the Spurs think about moving him and gaining an asset in return.
Trading the shooting guard could be tricky and as mentioned above, unlikely, given how the Spurs operate with regard to in-season deals, so we are going to use this space to plead DeRozan’s case as an All-Star. He’s averaging 23.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, while sporting a true shooting percentage of .608 and a player efficiency of 22.0. He leads the team in win shares and the Spurs may be near the bottom of the west without him. He certainly should have gotten in over an inefficient guard who shall not be named.
Trades Are Possible
- Rudy Gay
- Patty Mills
- DeMarre Carroll
- Trey Lyles
- Marco Belinelli
- Luka Samanic
- Chimezie Metu
It’s hard to envision the Spurs trading Rudy Gay unless he politely asks for one. He spoke very highly of the franchise about how they treated him and his family when he re-signed with the team over the summer. 🏀 Patty Mills has one season left on his deal after this one. With the team’s plethora of younger guards, it’s feasible that he could be dealt. 🏀 DeMarre Carroll originally signed with the Spurs via the Mid-Level Exception, though the team then altered plans and acquired him via a three-way deal with the Wizards and Nets because Marcus Morris wanted to come to town. Morris backed out of the agreement and the team signed Trey Lyles, who has an 11.4 player efficiency rating this season. 🏀 Marco Belinelli will be a free agent after the season. He is shooting an atypical 35.5% from behind the arc. 🏀 Luka Samanic was selected with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The second-most famous Luka in the state of Texas has yet to play in an NBA game, instead picking up minutes with the G League’s Austin Spurs. 🏀 Former second-round pick Chimezie Metu has appeared in 13 games for the Spurs. The power forward only had one appearance with over 10 minutes of action.
