San Antonio Spurs' 2015 Trade Deadline Shopping List
The 2015 NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and the San Antonio Spurs' situation has seemingly grown more dire with each passing game—relatively speaking, that is.
Previously seen as a beacon of consistency and success, the defending champs have seen their regular season disrupted by a series of injuries that have left the roster incomplete and the team in a constant struggle.
Leading the pack of injured stars is Kawhi Leonard, the reigning Finals MVP. Currently sidelined with a hand injury, his absence—among the absence of others at previous points this season—has revealed a number of weaknesses in San Antonio's roster.
Though it's extremely plausible to cast off the Spurs' slow start as a product of injuries and expect a turn of the tide once the team gets to full health, it's also reasonable to be worried. After all, the Western Conference was looking unprecedentedly competitive to start the season, and since then, a number of title contenders have bolstered their title chances through shrewd roster management.
The Dallas Mavericks added Rajon Rondo, one of the league's best pure point guards. The Houston Rockets brought in Josh Smith to fill some holes in their rotation, and most recently, the Memphis Grizzlies acquired Jeff Green after years of searching for the right fit at the small forward position.
Not only are these star-studded teams tremendous road blocks in the Western Conference, but they're all also members of the Southwest Division—the division that the Spurs have won with ease in each of the last four seasons.
And yet, they currently sit in just fourth place in the Southwest—seventh in the conference—and even with the possibility of brighter days ahead, deadline inactivity might not be in the team's best interests.
With their title window likely officially closing after this season, it might be time for the Spurs to go all-in. In what could be their final opportunity to win a title, their roster weaknesses are simply too significant for the Spurs to bank on full health in the postseason, especially with teams making moves around them to fix their own deficiencies.
What do the Spurs need?
Two injuries this year have exposed major holes in the team's rotation, the most drastic of which—the injury to Kawhi Leonard—is ongoing. Leonard has missed his last 14 games, with San Antonio posting a losing record in his absence.
Though the 23-year-old small forward isn't the team's best player, he has revealed himself to be its most irreplaceable. Whereas the absence of Tony Parker—who is considered by many to be the Spurs' alpha dog—was little more than a bump in the road with backups Cory Joseph and Patty Mills keeping the team afloat, the injury to Leonard has been a different story.
In addition to being the only true small forward on the roster, Leonard is the team's best ball-stopper by a long shot. Without his services, its perimeter defense has crumbled—and not slightly, either.
Opposing offenses are burning the Spurs on a nightly basis, and the team has struggled to succeed in what has become, in many situations, offensive showdowns and shootouts.
Though Danny Green offers defensive talent at the 2, the line of elite perimeter defenders stops there. Cory Joseph is above average, but neither Joseph nor Green should be relied upon to close games.
With a shortage of reliable ball-stoppers along the perimeter, San Antonio has found itself relying completely on Leonard for support—a fact that could come back to bite it in the postseason.
The same holds true about an overreliance on Green, as a similar narrative developed when the shooting guard missed an extended period of time last season.
Quite simply, the Spurs are spread too thin when it comes to elite defenders at the wing, and it would serve them well to consider adding a three-and-D player in the vein of Green, who, despite possessing significant offensive limitations, has the ability to log minutes against the opposition's top talents.
On a similar note, the Spurs found themselves struggling in the interior during the season's start when Tiago Splitter missed over 20 games.
With Tim Duncan's minutes already limited, they faced a shortage of true centers. Aron Baynes is the only other true 7-footer on the team, and though he has taken significant strides this season, he is still too raw to shoulder the burden that San Antonio asked him to when its interior was depleted.
Should either Splitter or Duncan miss time during the regular season's final stretch, an existing lack of frontcourt depth could significantly threaten their health come playoff time given each player's reliance on the other's presence to take off some defensive pressure. Should the postseason roll around with one of the two sidelined, San Antonio would be facing an uphill battle in its quest for a final ring.
Adding depth in the middle would not only bolster the team's chances of winning if shorthanded, but would also be monumental in helping San Antonio preserve its health throughout the regular season.
Who should they get?
By no means does San Antonio need to explore a potential blockbuster.
For the most part, its lineup is set. Aside from Jeff Ayres, Austin Daye and Marco Belinelli, its trading block should be fairly empty. But neither Ayres nor Daye provide an essential service to the team, and Belinelli, though talented, offers production that the team's plethora of guards can easily replicate in his absence.
However, only Belinelli really possesses much value as a player, so any potential trading partners will likely have to be in the rebuilding stage. Otherwise, the chance that they'd jump at unloading talent in exchange for expiring contracts and potential picks—the two things that San Antonio can offer—is minimal.
That does leave the Spurs with a host of teams with which they can deal, though. The Philadelphia 76ers would welcome any transaction that gives them long-term value, something that draft picks and roster flexibility bring in loads.
Andrei Kirilenko, whom the Spurs have been linked with previously, is currently on the team but has refused to play after the Sixers failed to uphold their promise and release him after acquiring him from the Brooklyn Nets, as reported by The Inquirer's Bob Ford.
Though seemingly washed up, Kirilenko is the type of player who fits the Spurs' first major need. He can play either forward position and brings athleticism and strong defensive play to the wing.
Currently suspended by Philadelphia for failing to show up to team events, he bears a strong resemblance to current Spurs standout Boris Diaw, who was once considered a lost cause when his relationship with the then-Charlotte Bobcats soured.
By packaging two of their expiring deals—and potentially throwing in a second-round pick—the Spurs could bring him in as a Diaw-like project, hoping that their championship status brings out the best in a player who was considered an elite role player.
Beyond Kirilenko, San Antonio should explore potential deals with the Orlando Magic, who, though likely less inclined to dump them, have a handful of prospects who have yet to carve out consistent roles in the rotation.
Moe Harkless and Andrew Nicholson, specifically, could likely be had at a reasonable price, with the team seemingly on the verge of dealing either, per Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler.
"I think things have run their course with the coaches — it's possible they give Moe another shot, but it seems like they have simply had enough of trying to motivate Moe to play like they want him to play.
That is really unfortunate because I think both Moe Harkless and Andrew Nicholson can help the Magic win games. They are both super skilled guys, but it seems that the coaches want effort more than anything and that’s not really working.
As for a trade – maybe. I think it's very possible and would honestly be welcomed. No player wants to sit and be inactive, so if the Magic are not going to play him, he has to be somewhere else.
"
The two players address each of San Antonio's needs and have workable contracts that can be matched by expiring deals.
Neither seems to have lived up to his potential in Orlando, and a change of scenery and Gregg Popovich's tutelage could be just what the doctor ordered. Though neither are going to be standouts, they'll offer depth in the spots that the Spurs need it most—something that is very much worth a potentially low asking price.
And finally, if San Antonio wants a definite rotation player, it should look toward the Denver Nuggets, who appear to be in overhaul mode.
With Jusuf Nurkic emerging as a legitimate interior talent, the team now has its fair share of trade pieces. Having recently dealt Timofey Mozgov for long-term returns, they very well might part with big men Darrell Arthur or J.J. Hickson for a modest asking price that revolves around draft picks.
Wilson Chandler, on the other hand, is reportedly being shopped hard according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (h/t Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk), and he would provide San Antonio with an immediate fix at the small forward spot. Not only is he a quality player already, but at 27, he'd offer long-term value to the team if it could wrap him up.
It'd likely have to send a first-round pick in the process and would have to part with Belinelli to make the numbers work, but San Antonio should have the means to acquire him if it desires.
In all cases, the solution isn't drastic, but it should be enough to significantly increase the Spurs' chances of repeating. Though hardly a lost cause, the team has fallen short of preseason expectations, and extra precautions may need to be taken to keep up with the improving squads around it.
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