Sheridan: Spurs frontrunners to land Al Jefferson

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Sheridan: Al Jefferson to Spurs?
3 Comments
By Chris Sheridan
February 06, 2013 at 2:00 PM
The NBA trade deadline journalism racket is a tricky minefield to navigate. The business is driven by rumors, many of which are founded in truth; others of which are utterly fictitious.

Distinguishing between the two differentiates the good basketball Web sites from the bad sites.

But figuring out who is available is not rocket science if you speak to the right people, and I speak to a lot of plugged-in people on a regular basis.

Here is the latest they are telling me: The San Antonio Spurs are the front-runners to land Al Jefferson in a trade with the Utah Jazz — and they are frontrunners like Secretariat was in the 1973 Belmont Stakes.

Here’s why, followed by a how.

“Those teams are practically incestuous, they are on such good terms internally,” one NBA source told me Wednesday.

Indeed, Spurs assistant general manager Scott Layden left Utah prior to this season after spending several seasons as an assistant coach for the Jazz and joined R.C. Buford’s staff in San Antonio’s secrecy vault front office. Also, former Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey is now doing the legwork for Utah’s grand poohbah, Kevin O’Connor.

The Jazz do not want to lose Jefferson for nothing when he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and they have a former overall No. 1 pick, Enes Kanter, ready to step in and fill the void that would be left by Jefferson’s departure.

Yes, Jefferson makes them a better playoff team. But no, the Jazz are not fooling themselves into believing they are championship material at this point.

And if Dwight Howard is not available on the free agent market this summer, Jefferson immediately becomes the No. 1 center available.

So the time for the Jazz to move him is NOW, and the team with the biggest need for an upgrade at center is the Spurs, whose inability to protect the rim was one of the prime reasons for their collapse in last year’s Western Conference finals when they had won 20 in a row and had a 2-0 lead on the Thunder, only to lose the next four.

Next: The Jazz need a point guard, and the Spurs have two of them not named Tony Parker. So you can expect Patty Mills (who Lindsey is familiar with and fond of) to be the preferable choice over Nando de Colo.

The Jazz also need some value coming back in this trade, and the Spurs have one last Eurostash asset in Erazem Lorbek, who has been profiled on this site by writer A.J. Mitnick.

Presumably they’d also ask for Tiago Splitter, because somebody would need to back up Kanter, and because Splitter is having an improved season in the year his contract expires — meaning Utah would not be taking on any long-term financial obligation.

San Antonio throws in Stephen Jackson for salary-matching purposes (almost an exact match), and voila.

Let’s have a look in the ESPN trade machine:

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/jazz-file-e1360167070760.jpg

Have the two front offices discussed this particular trade? I cannot say that, so I won’t. (Layden will give me advice on what to order at Dominick’s on Arthur Ave. in The Bronx, but he DOES NOT talk out of school about NBA matters. He still hasn’t given an interview about his time running the Knicks, nor will he ever do so, from what I am told.)

Do I suspect they’ve discussed a trade like this? Yes indeed.

Just something to chew on and watch for in the 15 days before the trade deadline. Sort of like the upcoming Will Bynum trade by the Pistons that I tipped you off to yesterday.

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/02/06/sheridan-al-jefferson-to-spurs/

[HarlemHeat37]

No, they aren't, tbh..

[Brunodf]

:wow

[Samr.]

If Al Jefferson signed an extension, I'd see this as a massive win for the Spurs. But I expect Splitter would sign an extension with the Spurs, so if you traded for Jefferson without extending him, you're basically trading your future center for a half-season rental of a better center.

Firm pass if Jefferson doesn't sign an extension.
Firm yes if he does.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Jefferson improving the interior defense? What? We'd get totally destroyed on the PnR with him and Duncan in the middle. Also suggesting the Jazz would center their trade on our 3rd string PG who is actually a SG is laughable, as is Splitter backing up Kanter. On top of it all, there are teams who would offer significantly more than this package for Jefferson. Bullshit.

[NASpurs]

This thread is going to be a ten pager full of nothing isn't it?

[ace3g]

Maybe the Spurs will make a trade with Wolves but not for Jefferson, just a name thrown out there as smoke (CIA Pop).

[celldweller]

Pure quota filling crap buy Sheridan. Dude most be bored.

[Mel_13]

By Chris Sheridan
February 06, 2013 at 2:00 PM
The NBA trade deadline journalism racket is a tricky minefield to navigate. The business is driven by rumors, many of which are founded in truth; others of which are utterly fictitious.

Have the two front offices discussed this particular trade? I cannot say that, so I won’t.

Of course you can't. This rumor is utterly fictitious.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Saw this a bit ago, it has to be a false rumor.

[monkeypunk]

No, they aren't, tbh..

Agreed, Splitter's improved play is a big reason that we are as strong as we are. Al Jeff is good but it would wreck our chemistry if we acquired him in mid-season.

We'd lose alot of our toughness trading Splitts and Jack, so do not want...

[Plumblbw]

Sounds like complete horse sh1t. Jefferson is slooooow footed and would not help defensively. Splits is much more mobile. I do like AL's offensive game though. Also, doesn't Mills have a no trade clause too?

[timvp]

I wouldn't do that trade. Jefferson is a horrendous defender. He's probably a top five worst pick-and-roll defender. Putting him next to Duncan would make the Spurs too slow. On offense, Jefferson isn't a great fit either. He needs a lot of post touches ... but the Spurs don't emphasize post-ups much anymore.

Splitter isn't necessarily always > Jefferson ... but he is for the Spurs at this point in time.

[Andthentherewas21]

Can't help but laugh at the article. Al Jefferson a defensive presence, Tiago backing-up Kanter after how productive hes shown to be with starter minutes, ect. And if the Jazz don't want to lose Jefferson for nothing in the offseason, why would the Spurs jump at the chance to do the exact same thing? I hope this was just a slow day and a quota article

[Plumblbw]

We'd also have no backup SF.

[NASpurs]

So OKC didn't want Jackson, Bonner and Blair for Durant? Damn.

[Brazil]

This thread is going to be a ten pager full of nothing isn't it?

that's for sure :lol

but it's an improvement, we are not talking anymore of Durant for Bonner.

[Brazil]

So OKC didn't want Jackson, Bonner and Blair for Durant? Damn.

:lol beat me

[td4mvp21]

I would hate this.

[DesignatedT]

I'd do it. Would prefer somebody other than Splitter but he isn't as good as Al Jeff. They are both the same age as well. Although it would depend on if he signs an extension and how much that extension is worth.

[Paranoid Pop]

Duncan - Jefferson is a bad fit, the only big man worth parting with serious assets is Garnett because he'd make the defense even better for sure.

[Embedded]

Al Jefferson and Tim Duncan seem to genuinely like and respect one another. This isn't like a Kevin Garnett long-headed alien ass(said to Tim 'Happy Mother's Bay Mother@#%$@#' knowing full well Tim's Mom had died) or Kenyon Martin (booty-giving-up-convict with NBA pedigree - oh, you assumed those red lips were female?!?). However, I think this might blow up the season, I don't want Tiago or Stephen Jackson to leave. I like Patty, too, he could possibly be an X-Factor in the playoffs, I just wish he got more playing time. I am worried about what Stephen A Smith said, but I think Kawhi might cover some of Manu's health issues).

[Plumblbw]

So OKC didn't want Jackson, Bonner and Blair for Durant? Damn.

Ha ha. Only because they'd be worried about losing Blair for nothing in the offseason :lol

[ace3g]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTARl1HmK8k

[Monkeyboy14]

Would NOT trade splitter for this guy. period. Al is over all better, but not on defense. We need tiagos defense for a championship. Besides, isnt Utah trading a big because they have to many bigs?? There isn't a point in Utah trading a big to get another big. So I think we trade mills, jack, and green. Utah improves at point guard, defense, and 3 point shooting. That is their weakness anyway.

But lets say they for some reason want a big. I see us giving up a package of bonner/blair or diaw before we drop tiago

[Mugen]

Trade away your 2nd best big and a proven playoff shotmaker for Al Jefferson. Screams RJ trade 2.0 tbh. Horrible for the Spurs.

[Bruno]

Al Jefferson has always strike me as a player who would be a great fit with Spurs personality wise. He was humble enough to say he didn't deserved a max contract and he is a Duncan's fan.

Saying that, I wouldn't trade Splitter for him because it would make Spurs weaker defensively while I'm not sold it would make them that much better offensively.

To me, the true question is more should Spurs offer something like Jackson+Bonner+2 first round pick for Jefferson?

[jjktkk]

Al Jefferson has always strike me as a player who would be a great fit with Spurs personality wise. He was humble enough to say he didn't deserved a max contract and he is a Duncan's fan.

Saying that, I wouldn't trade Splitter for him because it would make Spurs weaker defensively while I'm not sold it would make them that much better offensively.

To me, the true question is more should Spurs offer something like Jackson+Bonner+2 first round pick for Jefferson?

2 1st round picks? Way to much for Jefferson imo.

[Obstructed_View]

I think I'll be happy if the Spurs never trade for another guy named Jefferson. Rather pay Splitter AlJeff money for the next several years.

[DesignatedT]

I agree with throwing Green in there instead of Tiago. Play Leonard 40 mpg.

[lurker23]

As a few have pointed out, throwing Splitter into the mix is the real deal-killer here. Otherwise, the Spurs probably jump at this trade, and would probably be willing to throw in some combination of first round picks and Euro stash value. The only worry would be defensive depth at the 3, but one that can potentially be addressed via a few different avenues.

Long term questions post-trade: Would re-signing Splitter, Jefferson, and Manu force the Spurs into luxury tax territory? Can Splitter/Jefferson be a cohesive front court post-Duncan?

[EricB]

I agree with throwing Green in there instead of Tiago. Play Leonard 40 mpg.

Play Leonard 40 mins?!? Are you a lunatic?!?




I wouldn't touch Jefferson with a ten foot pole.

[Paranoid Pop]

I think I'll be happy if the Spurs never trade for another guy named Jefferson. Rather pay Splitter AlJeff money for the next several years.

:downspin: :lol

[Bruno]

2 1st round picks? Way to much for Jefferson imo.

Well, if one of them would is a 2013 first round pick, it's more like 1 and a half first round pick.

2013 draft is said to be very weak and Spurs have currently the best record in the league.

[lurker23]

Not a joke: The Jazz are probably one team that would place some value in Matt Bonner. A stretch-4 off the bench would fit well into their roster, and be a replacement for Mehmet Okur. (Not to mention that a couple of Matt's best games have occurred against the Jazz.) Matt would also be very popular in Utah.

That being said, I'm not sure that Jack+Mills+Bonner+first round pick for Jefferson would quite get the deal done on the Jazz end.

[Mr. Body]

Like some have mentioned this sounds just like one of them fancy smokescreens.

[dbestpro]

Jackson, Green, Bonner, Blair for Jefferson and Heyward plus whatever for salary match. Throw in Joseph and a first pick.

[Juggity]

The Jazz boards are filled with non-stop hate for Al Jefferson and his (lack of) defense. Giving up Splitter, Jack and Patty for that is an absolute joke

[Bruno]

Long term questions post-trade: Would re-signing Splitter, Jefferson, and Manu force the Spurs into luxury tax territory? Can Splitter/Jefferson be a cohesive front court post-Duncan?

It shouldn't be an issue. Even if Diaw doesn't opt out, Spurs will he something like $34M below the tax next summer before re-signing these 3 players.

[DPG21920]

Sherridan, and I say this without any hate or anything, might literally be the worst basketball writer out there. Since his depature from ESPN, he has been incredibly bad. He wasn't great to begin with, but it seems like he wanted to be his own boss and felt he had a big enough name to make it on his own, but he is horrendous.

[Richie]

Well, if one of them would is a 2013 first round pick, it's more like 1 and a half first round pick.

2013 draft is said to be very weak and Spurs have currently the best record in the league.

Agreed, 2013 and 2015 picks would be a great deal for the Spurs, considering 2013 is likely to be 29 or 30th and 2015 shouldn't be lottery.

If we could get it done without giving up Tim/Tony/Manu/Tiago/Kawhi then it's a no brainer. Jax + Green + Neal + 2013 and 2015 1st

[DPG21920]

Giving up Splitter is too much. It's not a fluke the Spurs are better defensively with Tiago on the floor. The strange thing in saying that is purely on value, it would at least take Splitter to get him, but from a Spurs perspective IMO it's too much. There is no question in my mind that Al Jeff would be a great locker room fit and work very hard - from a culture standpoint there might not be a better player to bring in. I actually think the offense would be better overall (his ability to work the block, but also shoot from 15 feet would be an asset), but the defensive drop would be too big of a concern.

[celldweller]

This CRAP article should read "Jazz frontrunners to Land Splitter"

[TheSkeptic]

Duncan - Jefferson is a bad fit, the only big man worth parting with serious assets is Garnett because he'd make the defense even better for sure.

Garnett not really. Gortat, Chandler, or Noah on the other hand...

[elemento]

The Jazz got Al Jefferson with 2 late picks when he wasn't an expiring. Why do we have to pay this much for an UFA ?

Not to mention having to re-sign this dude to a huge contract after this season. This deal makes no sense for SA. It makes our defense much worse (especially defending the P&R) and both Timmy/Al play in the low-block offensively.

[lurker23]

It shouldn't be an issue. Even if Diaw doesn't opt out, Spurs will he something like $34M below the tax next summer before re-signing these 3 players.

I guess the wild card is what they sign Manu for. Jefferson+Splitter would probably cost somewhere around $20 million in some form or fashion. If Manu takes $8 million (middle of the road, perhaps conservative, estimate), that leaves them with $6 million under the tax and 10 players under contract.

[024]

spurs fans have been burned so badly by past rumors, they don't even want to acknowledge this one. personally, this will only be a good move if the spurs keep tiago.

[Bruno]

There are two different parts in this article:
- The first part is where Sheridan said his sources are saying him that Spurs are heavily favorite to get Al Jefferson.
- The second part is Sheridan trying to build a trade that works for both side.

The rumor isn't that Spurs will trade Splitter for Al Jefferson, it's that Spurs are interested in Jefferson an are the frontrunners by a huge margin to get him.

Now, the big question is, how reliable are Sheridan sources?

[Paranoid Pop]

Garnett not really. Gortat, Chandler, or Noah on the other hand...

Gortat I don't see it, the other two are untradable and either former DPOY or favorite for the upcoming DPOY but even then they are true centers imo and I think Garnett would be a better fit next to Tim.

If you don't think Garnett is a better defender than Splitter, well let's just say I disagree...

[Brazil]

so... we get Jefferson without giving up any good player... sure

[acoelho1]

No way I do this trade since it would make us worse defensively. However, I would be interested in Paul Milsap since he he can play the 3 or 4 and brings added rebounding and toughness. I wouldn't give up Splitter for him but SJax, Green, Neal and/or any of our backup PGs. I would also really like Alec Burks to come our way and feel he could become a solid player. If we give up green, we can try to bring a veteran 2 guard that can shoot the 3 and play solid D.

[DPG21920]

There are two different parts in this article:
- The first part is where Sheridan said his sources are saying him that Spurs are heavily favorite to get Al Jefferson.
- The second part is Sheridan trying to build a trade that works for both side.

The rumor isn't that Spurs will trade Splitter for Al Jefferson, it's that Spurs are interested in Jefferson an are the frontrunners by a huge margin to get him.

Now, the big question is, how reliable are Sheridan sources?

IMO, from what I've seen, not reliable at all. UTA plays things extraordinarily close to the vest, so that part passes the smell test, but the Spurs being clearly the frontrunner reeks of just putting two and two together (i.e. the front office connections/relationships).

[wildbill2u]

Al Jefferson has always strike me as a player who would be a great fit with Spurs personality wise. He was humble enough to say he didn't deserved a max contract and he is a Duncan's fan.

Saying that, I wouldn't trade Splitter for him because it would make Spurs weaker defensively while I'm not sold it would make them that much better offensively.

To me, the true question is more should Spurs offer something like Jackson+Bonner+2 first round pick for Jefferson?

Then we'd wind up with three good big men--Splitter, Jefferson and Tim. I don't know how Pop would split the minutes and talents, but I suppose he could since he's the best active coach in the league

[BatManu20]

Y'all are cray if you think this wouldn't be a goof pickup. He's one of the most underrated Centers in the league. Sure he's not great at defense but he's not nearly as bad on D as some of you make him sound. Offensively, he'd be a huge pickup and a great compliment to Timmy. It would suck to lose Splitter though.. If there was any way to get him without losing Tiago that'd be a Godsend. Either way, I hope this somehow happens. We need it.

QYFxtibcPkY (http://QYFxtibcPkY)

[look_at_g_shred]

Millsap + Burks for Green + Bonner + Neal + Mills + 2013 First Rounder

[TheSkeptic]

Gortat I don't see it, the other two are untradable and either former DPOY or favorite for the upcoming DPOY but even then they are true centers imo and I think Garnett would be a better fit next to Tim.

If you don't think Garnett is a better defender than Splitter, well let's just say I disagree...

What I'm disagreeing with you on is the assertion that Garnett's the only big man worth giving up serious assets for.

Besides, Garnett's not tradable either so we're basically talking pipe dreams.

My issue with Garnett is how he's slowed down. I'm not convinced that he'd be able to chase perimeter players and he clearly wouldn't be a decent long-term option. Plus Tim hates him. Spurs could fix this by slowing down the pace but I just don't believe KG has enough in the tank to make it worth trading someone like Kawhi for him.

The other 2 are guys who are faster and younger. Chandler in particular would transition the most seamlessly because he's very pick and roll oriented while also being better on the glass and on D.

[Mugen]

Trading for a 4 doesn't get them past OKC or Miami. Both teams will ultimately go small ball with KD and LeBron.

If the Spurs are looking for a trade to bolster this year's championship chances, then you target a 2 or 3 that can create their own shots or is a proven playoff performer (eg: Paul Pierce). Otherwise, this current squad has as good a chance to ring as any trade that brings in Jefferson, Garnett, etc. tbh.

[spurraider21]

I don't want Al. He's not a warrior at all and is weak on defense. He's the same guy that said "we can't beat them" about the spurs after game THREE of our series last year. That's weak sauce. Even if you thin it's true, as the leader of a team you can't come out and say that in public whole the series is going on. As tdmvpdpoy would say he's a fkn wanker

[Mel_13]

how reliable are Sheridan sources?

He admitted that he didn't get anything from the Spurs. The Jazz are just as good, if not better, at keeping things in house. So that leaves agents, specifically Jefferson's agent. He wants to help create a market for Jefferson (so that a team other than Utah holds his Bird Rights this summer) and there's no better way to generate interest than to plant a story that the Spurs are ready to make a move.

IMO, there is no reliable basis for this story.

[eric365]

Enes Kanter is not a former overall No. 1 pick
AI is not an upgrade over Splitter on D

And the spurs don't have that much assets to trade.
- SJax expirer is a nice asset but not has no value for another expirer like AI
- Leonard or one of the Big 3 will not be traded for AI
- Bonner / De Colo / Neal / Blair / Mills / Baynes are not really interresting for the Jazz

It leaves Splitter or/and picks

[spurraider21]

Trading for a 4 doesn't get them past OKC or Miami. Both teams will ultimately go small ball with KD and LeBron.

If the Spurs are looking for a trade to bolster this year's championship chances, then you target a 2 or 3 that can create their own shots or is a proven playoff performer (eg: Paul Pierce). Otherwise, this current squad has as good a chance to ring as any trade that brings in Jefferson, Garnett, etc. tbh.
KG is different because he's more agile and his pick and roll defense is elite

[Brazil]

Don't get wrong I love (no homo) Tiago but if he is the price to pay to get Jefferson I'll do it.
They are both 28 y/o, Al is a 20 10 1 player, I'm convinced that he could improve a ton defensively with the Spurs.

It's not like we are giving up a young productive big in Tiago, he is already 28. Al is much more proven at this stage even if health is always a concern with him. What he could bring offensively and rebounding wise is significant imho vs. Tiago.

[Mugen]

Plus, I'd rather pay 8-9 million to Tiago over 4 years than 12-14 million for Big Al.

[Obstructed_View]

:downspin: :lol

You'd rather pay Jefferson? Let's see how each of them does going forward.

[Obstructed_View]

Plus, I'd rather pay 8-9 million to Tiago over 4 years than 12-14 million for Big Al.

Nobody's going to be stupid enough to pay him that kind of money AGAIN.

Are they?

[Mugen]

KG is different because he's more agile and his pick and roll defense is elite

Yes, he is. But he can't guard KD nor LeBron. If/when the Spurs play those teams in the playoffs, Spurs will have to match up with those small ball lineups. In theory you could hide a KG/Jefferson on guys like Battier/Thabo but the gains are not worth giving up Tiago or Jack IMO.

[Mugen]

Nobody's going to be stupid enough to pay him that kind of money AGAIN.

Are they?

I think he'll easily get 12 million per year.

[Bruno]

Then we'd wind up with three good big men--Splitter, Jefferson and Tim. I don't know how Pop would split the minutes and talents, but I suppose he could since he's the best active coach in the league

I guess, Pop would cut a lot Tim's regular season minutes. This interest for Al Jeff could even be motivated by all the issue Tim has had lately with his knee(s).

[timtonymanu]

No to Jefferson. Especially if Splitter is involved. The defense will go back to middle of the pack with Al at the 4.

[KL2]

No way would I trade Splitter.

Here is a trade that'd work though:

Blair, Bonner, Neal, Jackson, Lorbek for AJ and Carroll or Evans (SF's).

Neal has some good value IMO, especially because he's a hybrid PG/SG, and very cheap. we swap SF's with Jack and Carroll.

[Brazil]

oh and :lol at everybody assuming we will get Tiago for a nice reasonable price... the Tiago progress are not being un noted by the rest of the league. Nobody knows what kind of money he is going to be offered.

[Brazil]

No way would I trade Splitter.

Here is a trade that'd work though:

Blair, Bonner, Neal, Jackson, Lorbek for AJ and Carroll or Evans (SF's).

Neal has some good value IMO, especially because he's a hybrid PG/SG, and very cheap. we swap SF's with Jack and Carroll.

Once again ST fans should stop thinking you can attract teams by trading them all our garbage in once tbh

[Obstructed_View]

I think he'll easily get 12 million per year.

I guess it wouldn't shock me if that were the case, but that's another reason not to even bother trying to get him. If the Spurs are going to give up assets to rent someone for this year, I'd rather have Pierce, and he probably wouldn't cost Splitter or Leonard to get.

[timtonymanu]

Considering the thread was started by Bottomtooth and the rumor was Jackson, Splitter, and Mills I was worried. Thankfully it's just a stupid trade machine transaction and not the rumored deal. Hopefully it's just smokescreen for a better fit coming in.

[Mugen]

I guess it wouldn't shock me if that were the case, but that's another reason not to even bother trying to get him. If the Spurs are going to give up assets to rent someone for this year, I'd rather have Pierce, and he probably wouldn't cost Splitter or Leonard to get.

Pierce is the only realistic trade target that I wouldnt have any hesitation on pulling the trigger for unless they asked for Kawhi/Tiago, which they probably would.

It would definitely cost the Spurs at least one of those guys to get him. Everybody in BOS already hates Ainge, they'd outright lynch him if he traded away one of the franchise greats for nothing but expirings. But then again, it is Ainge.

[TD 21]

I wouldn't do that trade. Jefferson is a horrendous defender. He's probably a top five worst pick-and-roll defender. Putting him next to Duncan would make the Spurs too slow. On offense, Jefferson isn't a great fit either. He needs a lot of post touches ... but the Spurs don't emphasize post-ups much anymore.

Splitter isn't necessarily always > Jefferson ... but he is for the Spurs at this point in time.

Exactly.

Even if the Spurs could do Jackson, Bonner + 2 1sts for Jefferson, I don't know that they'd do that. Since there's virtually no chance Jefferson would re-sign (he couldn't consistently play with Duncan, leaving him what, 20 mpg in a backup role?), they'd have to determine whether having him off the bench would be more beneficial than having Jackson around as a secondary Durant/James defender. Maybe they could get Carroll thrown in to offset that, but still, Jefferson wouldn't be a great fit in a 2nd unit that's Ginobili/pick-and-roll centric.

I don't know whether Sheridan's site is floundering or not, but it wouldn't surprise me if it is and this is just a feeble attempt to drum up interest, just like his claims that the lockout would end before a game was missed.

[KL2]

Once again ST fans should stop thinking you can attract teams by trading them all our garbage in once tbh


They may seem like garbage to us, but valuable to another team. Especially to a team's GM that has seen them play, remember Lindsey (Utah's GM) was working for SA just last year. Blair/Bonner are both former starters, one of them potentially the best 3pt shooter in the league, Neal is a scoring machine/PG, Jack is a quality player as well. Lorbek is also a very attractive piece, he's been compared to Okur.

I wouldn't be surprised if this trade goes down. The Spurs managed to trade the corpses of Bowen/Oberto/Thomas for a 20ppg scorer (Rgay), Memphis traded Gay for Prince and Davis etc.

[Richie]

They may seem like garbage to us, but valuable to another team. Especially to a team's GM that has seen them play, remember Lindsey (Utah's GM) was working for SA just last year. Blair/Bonner are both former starters, one of them potentially the best 3pt shooter in the league, Neal is a scoring machine/PG, Jack is a quality player as well. Lorbek is also a very attractive piece, he's been compared to Okur.

I wouldn't be surprised if this trade goes down. The Spurs managed to trade the corpses of Bowen/Oberto/Thomas for a 20ppg scorer (Rgay), Memphis traded Gay for Prince and Davis etc.

No, they're trash. If we aren't giving up Tiago or Kawhi, the only option is Green.

Green + 1st + salary (jackson) for Al sounds like a good deal

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I wouldn't be surprised if this trade goes down. The Spurs managed to trade the corpses of Bowen/Oberto/Thomas for a 20ppg scorer (Rgay), Memphis traded Gay for Prince and Davis etc.

These were purely financial trades. Your proposed one isn't. Also , Lorbek isn't coming to the NBA, like ever. Bonner will be traded on draft day. Blair has zero trade value, Neal also close to zero.

[timtonymanu]

I would hate to lose Jack too. I know Spur fan thinks he's a scrub now but we need him. I would only trade Jack if the right trade comes along and Al doesn't seem like the solution, IMO.

[eDizzle20]

I don't completely mind this trade. The Spurs will have to pay for Splitter in the offseason, especially with him being a restricted free agent. My guess is that some team with cap room will offer him $10 million/year. Jefferson is the same age as Splitter and has a more versatile offensive game and is also averaging 1.2 blocks/game. A trade like this is more about playoff time than anything else as Splitter disappeared against OKC in the conference finals.

[George Gervin's Afro]

This thread is going to be a ten pager full of nothing isn't it?

I see you have been to this board before...

[SenorSpur]

Al Jefferson may be a far better offensive player than Splitter, but he's also a far worse defender. Giving up Splitter, under any circumstances, is too costly for the Spurs. Besides, Pop has willed and commanded this team be better defensively - and they have. I don't know why he would jepoardize that now. Therefore to Sheridan's rumor, I say "bah humbug".

[angelbelow]

Wouldn't do Jackson and Splitter for Jefferson though.

[Mal]

Fuck no to trading Tiago for anyone

[HeroSquad]

Al Jefferson seems much more like a replacement for Tim than for Tiago. It makes you wonder though, if the rumors are even remotely true that is, just how confident are the Spurs about resigning Tiago this offseason. I can't imagine they'd be more confident in resigning Jefferson should they make the trade than they would Tiago, who is a RFA.

[cd98]

Spurs aren't giving up Splitter unless the Spurs organization thinks he isn't worth what he'll want for an extension. Jefferson is a solid post player, but he'd clash with the Spurs system. Splitter is perfect for it because he sets great screens and is a great finisher. So for the Spurs system, Splitter is better than Jefferson.

[HeroSquad]

Another thought, how much do you think Aron Baynes factors into this if, again, the rumors are true? Do they think he can ascend to Splitter's role should they decide to part with the Brazilian big man?

[ChaseReynolds]

If Utah doesn't want to deal Jefferson away, I think we should give this a shot just for the hell of it: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ca4lk4s

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Take out Splitter and insert Blair and this year's first round pick. Deal. Lots of upside (and backside) for Utah by bringing in Dejuan.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

On second thought, let's just blow this team up. Trade 'em all Pop. Best record in basketball...meh.

[Brunodf]

KG is different because he's more agile and his pick and roll defense is elite
:lol

[Richie]

Why do people keep thinking Duncan and Al Jeff can't play together? Letting Jefferson bang in the post and keep Duncan on pick and roll/pop is perfect going forward and keeping Timmy fresh. Much more tiring to play in the post, let young legs do it.

If we can get a deal of Green + a backup point (Mills/CoJo/De Colo) + Jackson (salary) + a 1st for Jefferson, I think that'd be a good deal for both teams.

Utah can probably get more for him if the team thinks they can get him to re sign, but thats always a gamble. Considering how Jefferson has said he idolised Duncan growing up, respects our organisation and seems like a perfect fit personality wise, we can be quietly confident we could get him to re sign at a reasonable price in the summer.

Would give us a line up of

Parker/De Colo
Neal/Manu
Kawhi/Diaw
Duncan/Bonner
Splitter/Jefferson

The allure of getting Neal back to shooting guard where he is a much better player is not to overlooked. Diaw would have to play significant minutes at the 3, and if Kawhi got hurt we'd be in a lot of trouble.

Also, we would be able to bring Jackson back in the summer using the MLE and he could retire with Manu and Duncan in 2015

[Brunodf]

These were purely financial trades. Your proposed one isn't. Also , Lorbek isn't coming to the NBA, like ever. Bonner will be traded on draft day. Blair has zero trade value, Neal also close to zero.

He has some value, chuckers are very overrated in this league tbh...

[tenbeersbold]

Just thinkin',Tim might view this as his last chance for a 'ship and the contract he signed tbh is probably more to keep people in the seats in SA,which is a no brainer for SA

But Tim's minutes are gonna have to come down at some point,so trading away Tiago for Jefferson w/ Baynes waiting in the backround makes business sense if not 'ship sense. Tiago isnt a fan favorite and doesnt have much fan loyalty/ties to the SA market afaik. AND his LAST chance at a big NBA contract is next year,I dont think his improved play this year is some coincidence...its market time and besides Tim,Tony and Manu pretty much everyone is on the block in a business sense.

[LarryDavid]

The Jazz boards are filled with non-stop hate for Al Jefferson....

Yes, because we all know that people in fan forums never overreact or have idiotic takes.

Also, I wonder if any of these rumors started after Duncan went down before anyone knew the extent of the injury. I don't know the inner workings of a front office, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine the Jazz FO, or any FO for that matter, to put out feelers on a "replacement" for Duncan. Either way, trade is stupid and if the Spurs pull the trigger I'll trip Duncan on his way down the court like I did to Shaq all those years ago.

[Maddog]

Another thought, how much do you think Aron Baynes factors into this if, again, the rumors are true? Do they think he can ascend to Splitter's role should they decide to part with the Brazilian big man?

Good thought- But I don't think so. As promising as Baynes seems (based on one game) you aren't going based championship hopes on a fresh off the boat Euro. A lot of Euro bigs have had adjustment issues with the NBA- Tiago, Oberto both had some problems- probably others. Someone can probably name a few who didn't.

I do think Bruno has pretty much summed it up perfectly. The Spurs may be interested in Jefferson. The rest is speculation.

[Juggity]

Yes, because we all know that people in fan forums never overreact or have idiotic takes

I'm just providing a metric by which to compare fan frustrations. Bad players incite fan frustrations. Taken as a collective, Jazz fans' complaints are valid criticisms of Jefferson's play, not because they exist, but because they are an overwhelming perception that I happen to agree with, having seen Jefferson's flaws myself.

[MR-Clutch]

• I'm totally willing to do the trade if Tiago is not part of the package. Tiago is by far our most mobile big on defense and fits in our starting lineup too well, to trade for Jefferson, in fact, our starting lineup, by measure of points per possession/ points allowed per opponent possession is one of the best in the league if not the best.

• I think we can all agree that the spurs wouldn't surrender Tiago to get Jefferson when they have placed such an emphasis on defense this year. That said If were to give up some package not including Splitter, such as the one Bruno mentioned, you do it every time. Tiago and Al Jeff would be the future, for at least the next 5-8 years, and would also help possibly extend Duncan's career further.

• If the spurs were to execute a trade and get Al Jeff without giving up Splitter, you have to wonder what that would do to the lineup rotation. Would Al agree to come off the bench? At the moment, it seems like that would be the best option for Jefferson and the team because of the first point I mentioned. Jefferson and Tim would just be way too slow on defense. IF the spurs could get Al jefferson to come of the bench, we would always have a threat to score down low. I would love to see the combo of Duncan/Splitter/Al Jefferson punishing the thunder or heat in a series.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Why do people keep thinking Duncan and Al Jeff can't play together? Letting Jefferson bang in the post and keep Duncan on pick and roll/pop is perfect going forward and keeping Timmy fresh. Much more tiring to play in the post, let young legs do it.

If we can get a deal of Green + a backup point (Mills/CoJo/De Colo) + Jackson (salary) + a 1st for Jefferson, I think that'd be a good deal for both teams.

Utah can probably get more for him if the team thinks they can get him to re sign, but thats always a gamble. Considering how Jefferson has said he idolised Duncan growing up, respects our organisation and seems like a perfect fit personality wise, we can be quietly confident we could get him to re sign at a reasonable price in the summer.

Would give us a line up of

Parker/De Colo
Neal/Manu
Kawhi/Diaw
Duncan/Bonner
Splitter/Jefferson

The allure of getting Neal back to shooting guard where he is a much better player is not to overlooked. Diaw would have to play significant minutes at the 3, and if Kawhi got hurt we'd be in a lot of trouble.

Also, we would be able to bring Jackson back in the summer using the MLE and he could retire with Manu and Duncan in 2015
De Colo isn't ready at all for big minutes. Neal is still a terrible defender and should only get spot minutes. Diaw at the three is just no.
And Jackson wouldn't be able to sign back with the Spurs until after a year has passed.

[Richie]

De Colo isn't ready at all for big minutes. Neal is still a terrible defender and should only get spot minutes. Diaw at the three is just no.
And Jackson wouldn't be able to sign back with the Spurs until after a year has passed.

Well we don't have a team of great defenders, we need to play Neal, and I'd be much happier with Neal backing up Manu at the 2 than Parker. Neal may not be great at shooting guard, but he's even worse at the point.

Diaw at the 3 isn't perfect I agree, ideally we could get a back up 3 from the Jazz in the trade who could fill in for 10 min/game while Kawhi is resting.

I didn't know we couldn't re sign a traded player after a year. Oh well, a loss but losing out on Jackson for Jefferson would be acceptable.

[Paranoid Pop]

For the people who say Boris can't play the 3, did you see him do perfectly fine vs Lebron and Pierce?

[Grit and Grind]

Stars is what wins playoff games not Tiago Splitter ( Stephen A Smith voice ) ... Al Jefferson is a monster .

[Obiwonginobili]

would much rather do this: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bbcokfe

[look_at_g_shred]

Do you guys remember how Jefferson killed us in the loss to Utah earlier this year? He was a damn monster!!

[elemento]

I wonder if any of you guys watched the Jazz/Spurs series.

He was the reason why the Jazz was swept 4-0. He is one of the worse defensive BIG men in the NBA. Every team running a P&R will have an Avenue to work when Jefferson is out there.

17ppg on 15 shots with a 51%TS ? For a guy known for his low-post scoring, that's not impressive at all. Volume scorer that doesn't draw fouls usually doesn't work. He is pretty much the Monta Ellis/Brandon Jennings of the BIG men.

DO NOT WANT

[Budkin]

Yeah right

[lefty]

This thread is going to be a ten pager full of nothing isn't it?

this

[hater]

No way they include splitter in that.IMO you can include anybody on that trade excluding tp, duncan, splitter, kawhi ant its 2 thumbs up from me

[anakha]

Has there ever been a time where any leakage of 'Spurs frontrunners to nab someone' actually ended in the Spurs getting that guy?

[Morg1411]

This thread is going to be a ten pager full of nothing isn't it?

Yep.

[LittleCriminal]

Hoopsworld is quoted as saying Utah would take "Jackson,Blair and Joseph for Jefferson"....??
I hope Utah's FO had not been watching any of the Spurs games this year..
I'd throw in Bonner too just to make the salaries match...

[K-State Spur]

Do you guys remember how Jefferson killed us in the loss to Utah earlier this year? He was a damn monster!!

if we made franchise decisions based upon how a player looked against the spurs solely - Pop would have given Josh Howard a couple max deals.

[Spur|n|Austin]

No way they include splitter in that.IMO you can include anybody on that trade excluding tp, duncan, splitter, kawhi ant its 2 thumbs up from me

Yeah I'm the same, but it can't include the ones you listed. There's no way Utah makes the trade without ONE of them; then again, they could want to free up some cap and also get a draft pick from us...

[hater]

Has there ever been a time where any leakage of 'Spurs frontrunners to nab someone' actually ended in the Spurs getting that guy?

Finley

[TJastal]

I wonder if any of you guys watched the Jazz/Spurs series.

He was the reason why the Jazz was swept 4-0. He is one of the worse defensive BIG men in the NBA. Every team running a P&R will have an Avenue to work when Jefferson is out there.

17ppg on 15 shots with a 51%TS ? For a guy known for his low-post scoring, that's not impressive at all. Volume scorer that doesn't draw fouls usually doesn't work. He is pretty much the Monta Ellis/Brandon Jennings of the BIG men.

DO NOT WANT

This. What most here are failing to realize is the way the spurs are currently constructed Jefferson would not only be a disaster on defense but also on offense, and probably even ESPECIALLY on offense given how reliant the spurs (esp Parker) have become on the P&R to get open shots. "Big Al" might run a handful of P&R's a game, if he's feeling especially chipper...otherwise he'd mostly sit on the low block and clog up the offensive flow and like elemento mentioned, he isn't especially efficient down there.

[Richie]

Yeah I'm the same, but it can't include the ones you listed. There's no way Utah makes the trade without ONE of them; then again, they could want to free up some cap and also get a draft pick from us...

Green + a pick could be enough

[Budkin]

Finley

Spurs were not the frontrunners. It was Phoenix first and then I think Miami.

[hater]

Spurs were not the frontrunners. It was Phoenix first and then I think Miami.

Depends on d source. I recall miami n spurs were mentioned as frontrunners by espn n others

[therealtruth]

Last time we traded for a guy whose last name was Jefferson it didn't turn out so well.

[letmk]

Add AJ to TD-Tiago twin tower is nice, but replacing it is not.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Green + a pick could be enough

I'd pull that trigger in a heart beat!

[MR-Clutch]

Hoopsworld is quoted as saying Utah would take "Jackson,Blair and Joseph for Jefferson"....??
I hope Utah's FO had not been watching any of the Spurs games this year..
I'd throw in Bonner too just to make the salaries match...

If that's the case, its a no-brainer. It would give a one year rental to see how Jefferson fits and if he would be worth resigning. If he's not, then I doubt the spurs risk resigning him like RJ.

[hater]

Jefferson for Ginobili straight up worsk for me :tu

[TheSkeptic]

This. What most here are failing to realize is the way the spurs are currently constructed Jefferson would not only be a disaster on defense but also on offense, and probably even ESPECIALLY on offense given how reliant the spurs (esp Parker) have become on the P&R to get open shots. "Big Al" might run a handful of P&R's a game, if he's feeling especially chipper...otherwise he'd mostly sit on the low block and clog up the offensive flow and like elemento mentioned, he isn't especially efficient down there.

I think the only way that works is if we start Diaw or Baynes and then have Jefferson play with the second unit. Pop would then need to have the second unit playing a different system or maybe just running more 4 down. Against opposing benches, I think Al Jefferson's efficiency goes up. Baynes is athletic and should be quick enough to defend the pick and roll. But a Diaw/Jefferson frontcourt would also have a lot of problems so Pop would have to work the rotation so that TD/Diaw, TD/Baynes, Baynes/Diaw, Baynes/Jefferson are the only combinations that see the floor.

While Baynes could eventually become a solid starter (for sure a great bench big), I do believe that this trade makes the Spurs worse this season. I don't think Baynes is ready yet to fill in which means we'd be rolling with either Jefferson or Diaw at the end of games. We really shouldn't forget how part of the reason the Spurs swept Utah last season was because of how terrible Jefferson's pick and roll defense was.

This would mean that we'd most likely have a TD/Diaw or a TD/Jefferson unit closing out games. I don't think either of those pairings has a high enough ceiling to give the Spurs a puncher's chance against a team like OKC. Especially TD/Jefferson.

[bigdog]

I like Al Jefferson a LOT, but I don't know about sending out Splitter for him. Splitter is too much of an asset right now, but maybe they would do it in case he bolts for more money later on? I'm perfectly fine with Duncan/Splitter/Baynes/Diaw up front. Maybe ship out Bonner or Blair for someone else. Al would need too many touches to be on this team.

[Brunodf]

Don't look now but the frontcourt is no longer the weak spot...

[Russo21]

Spurs a heavy favorite to land Al Jefferson? http://a.espncdn.com/i/in.gif (http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/nba/rumors/post?id=1752)

February, 6, 2013

'Utah's Al Jefferson (http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/2389/al-jefferson) is one of the big names being mentioned in the weeks leading up to the NBA's Feb. 21 trade deadline, and if the Jazz deal him the San Antonio Spurs (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs) are reportedly a heavy favorite to land him.'

When i first read the story on spurstalk i figured it was just some wishful thinking by a spurs fan. I dont have Insider but seeing the headline makes me think there's something to it. The Jazz have so many bigs and arent going anywhere anytime soon. I don't know what they'd want back but it woulda kinda be a lateral move if we give them Tiago. He has just fit in so well this season finally, playing fantastic and finally getting regular minutes. If we coulda pull this off while keeping Tiago that would be utterly amazing.

Like i said i would do it if we could keep Tiago. We'd be built for a championship this year, and if he resigns with us we can get the title next year to. The future will be bright also, Jefferson and Tiago could give us a two headed monster going into the dreaded post-duncan era. It's intruiging.

[LittleCriminal]

Spurs a heavy favorite to land Al Jefferson? http://a.espncdn.com/i/in.gif (http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/nba/rumors/post?id=1752)

February, 6, 2013

'Utah's Al Jefferson (http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/2389/al-jefferson) is one of the big names being mentioned in the weeks leading up to the NBA's Feb. 21 trade deadline, and if the Jazz deal him the San Antonio Spurs (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs) are reportedly a heavy favorite to land him.'

When i first read the story on spurstalk i figured it was just some wishful thinking by a spurs fan. I dont have Insider but seeing the headline makes me think there's something to it. The Jazz have so many bigs and arent going anywhere anytime soon. I don't know what they'd want back but it woulda kinda be a lateral move if we give them Tiago. He has just fit in so well this season finally, playing fantastic and finally getting regular minutes. If we coulda pull this off while keeping Tiago that would be utterly amazing. But i have to ask, who is saying this and why are we heavy favorites to land him? Where did all this come from?

Like i said i would do it if we could keep Tiago. We'd be built for a championship this year, and if he resigns with us we can get the title next year to. The future will be bright also, Jefferson and Tiago could give us a two headed monster going into the dreaded post-duncan era. It's intruiging.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-trade-brewing-between-jazz-and-spurs/

[Cane]

Jefferson would help when the offense gets stalled in the playoffs like when Sefolosha is hounding Tony Parker. The Spurs rely too much on Parker's penetration and the aging legs of Manu and Duncan. The younger players are too inconsistent, small, or unskilled to rely on when the offense stalls. Jefferson's shot creation in the low post and his jumper would help...but it depends on how many assets the Spurs have to give up

And if the Spurs can get out of the WCF and face the Heat, the Spurs size would be a problem for the Heat and "small ball" would backfire on them

[CGD]

Big fan of Big Al, the person and player. Hes probably a Top 3 back to the basket players in the league, which I think would be a nice dimension to have and throw at teams' second units. I know the league has gotten faster, but playoff ball does become more half court oriented switch suits his game.

I wouldn't give Spliiter for him though. Jefferson/Splitter/KL would be a very nice front court as Spurs think post-Duncan.

[Chinook]

I'd rather the Spurs go after Dalembert if they're REALLY not okay with their center rotation. At least he gives them something they could use.

[CGD]

I also wonder if jazz would like Cory and Mills if they really want pg depth...

[Russo21]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-trade-brewing-between-jazz-and-spurs/

Thanks LittleCriminal lol. Is HoopsWorld/Yannis Koutroupis reliable i wander. Jackson Blair and Joseph like he said would be too perfect.

[LittleCriminal]

I'd rather the Spurs go after Dalembert if they're REALLY not okay with their center rotation. At least he gives them something they could use.

I agree... IMO anything is better than standing pat at this point.... get rid of #45 and the now 3 point % dead, red head.

[Capt Bringdown]

Jefferson for Ginobili straight up worsk for me :tu

Copy that. But the Spurs are going to ride Manu's declining skills and incessant injuries out to the bitter end.

[sexinthatsx]

You guys are so scared of the Spurs letting Splitter go, why don't you guys consider the fact that maybe Jazz doesn't even want Splitter? They already have Paul Millsap, Enes Kanter, AND Derrick Favors, who's just waiting to be a breakout player for them. The Jazz asking for Splitter just doesn't make sense if anything.

[mabrignani]

I'd rather the Spurs go after Dalembert if they're REALLY not okay with their center rotation. At least he gives them something they could use.

there is a reason he is 3rd string

[Richie]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-trade-brewing-between-jazz-and-spurs/

Thanks LittleCriminal lol. Is HoopsWorld/Yannis Koutroupis reliable i wander. Jackson Blair and Joseph like he said would be too perfect.

No chance we get away with that. If we don't want to part with Splitter or Kawhi (which most seem to agree with) then we need to give up our 1st this year + a talent. Danny Green + 1st + filler for Al Jeff has some appeal on the Jazz forum when I floated the idea.

The fact is they won't be re signing him this summer so they need to trade him for whatever they can get. Maybe they can get more, but I like that deal for us.

[Cane]

You guys are so scared of the Spurs letting Splitter go, why don't you guys consider the fact that maybe Jazz doesn't even want Splitter? They already have Paul Millsap, Enes Kanter, AND Derrick Favors, who's just waiting to be a breakout player for them. The Jazz asking for Splitter just doesn't make sense if anything.

Yea there has to be a third team, and imo Splitter or other Jazz assets could be easily flipped. Jazz have a logjam and will have to do something

[Chinook]

there is a reason he is 3rd string

He's second-string now that Udoh has fallen. And he's not starting because of Larry Sanders.

[crc21209]

I'm a fan of Al Jefferson, but not for a Tiago-Jack-Mills package. I just don't think his skillset would fit with the Spurs system. Like others here have already stated, he needs alot of touches in order to be effective. And that just wouldn't happen here. Tiago just fits too well here to get rid of him. I would rather the Spurs pay Tiago this off-season than pay Jefferson. That, and I don't want the Spurs to get rid of Jack. Kawhi can't play 40-45 minutes a game. Even though he's young, you don't want to run him into the ground real fast. Jack brings the intagibles that the Spurs need, especially if the Spurs match up with OKC or even Miami later down the road. Jack being gone would mean playing Green or Manu at the backup SF spot, and I'm not down with that...

[exstatic]

If Al Jefferson signed an extension, I'd see this as a massive win for the Spurs. But I expect Splitter would sign an extension with the Spurs, so if you traded for Jefferson without extending him, you're basically trading your future center for a half-season rental of a better center.

Firm pass if Jefferson doesn't sign an extension.
Firm yes if he does.
I agree that as constituted, it's Splitter for a Jefferson rental. To me, it only makes sense if they include their first rounder, currently #17.

[exstatic]

Maybe the Spurs will make a trade with Wolves but not for Jefferson, just a name thrown out there as smoke (CIA Pop).

Jefferson hasn't played for the Wolves in a couple of seasons.

[ChaseReynolds]

Jack brings the intagibles that the Spurs need, especially if the Spurs match up with OKC or even Miami later down the road.

Overconfidence in one's three-point shot and aspirations of a rap career are not "intangibles that the Spurs need". Send Captain Jack to the fishes.

[dbestpro]

Jefferson can be had without giving up Splitter. CoJo would probably go, and we would need another SF to replacw Jax. The player I would like to grab along with Jefferson would be Demarre Carroll. I love his defense and how hard he plays when he is on the floor.

[ace3g]

Jefferson hasn't played for the Wolves in a couple of seasons.

wow I've been thinking Wolves since this thread was started, lol, reasoning: kept thinking about Derrick Williams as an alternate trade.

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

THIS BETTER NOT HAPPEN!!!
AS ive said before tiago will be one of the best centers in the league and we'd be killing our chemistry with this trade as well as giving up so much mental edge without getting it back. tiago needs to be a spur FOR LIFE STOP THESE DAMN TRADES

[callo1]

Rather move Jax, Bonner for Milsap. Jazz are going to move Milsap from what I am hearing.

[SpursIndonesia]

This kinda trade only makes sense if TD indeed got injured & out of the season, since Al Jeff is overall still the better offensive post player compared to Splitter, while defensively as a rim protector, both are a wash, thx God that didn't happen. But pairing TD & Big Al as the starting C/PF, that's clearly a recipe for a disastrous defense, especially against teams with great PnR offense (basically the staples of todays NBA offense).

[Rapper]

Tigao, Sjax and Mills are not happy about this news

[callo1]

Cheap insurance for the Spurs. Move Bonner and Blair and get O'Neal from the Suns and I really HATE to say this, but get Fisher to run backup pg.

[Ice009]

I wanted Al Jefferson about a year ago, not sure what I think about a trade for him now though. Very interesting. I think he would be awesome on offense, but I value defense more, and he's just not very good on that end of the court. After defense though, my next best thing would be a low post scorer. I value guys that have good post moves and can score down low, so I guess that I am very interested in him depending on who we would have to give up. Even with his average defense, I am interested.

[exstatic]

I don't want Al. He's not a warrior at all and is weak on defense. He's the same guy that said "we can't beat them" about the spurs after game THREE of our series last year. That's weak sauce. Even if you thin it's true, as the leader of a team you can't come out and say that in public whole the series is going on. As tdmvpdpoy would say he's a fkn wanker

No team has ever come back from 3-0 in a best of 7 series in NBA history. While I agree with you that he shouldn't have said it to the press, I'd call it realism rather than defeatism.

[hooperflash]

THIS BETTER NOT HAPPEN!!!
AS ive said before tiago will be one of the best centers in the league and we'd be killing our chemistry with this trade as well as giving up so much mental edge without getting it back. tiago needs to be a spur FOR LIFE STOP THESE DAMN TRADES

Fanboy Needs To Calm Down :pimpslap

Feel free to have a meltdown if Tiago ever gets traded :lol .

[Johnny RIngo]

Hope not. We don't really need someone like Jefferson anyway. A dynamic backcourt player is a more pressing concern atm. Ginobli's going to disappoint again - whether it's through another injury or a sloppy post-season performance. Spurs can't rely on him anymore to be that extra guy that can drop 20 points a night.

[ChaseReynolds]

Even if nothing fleshes out from this, it is at least refreshing to see the Spurs mentioned in trade rumors.

[spurraider21]

No team has ever come back from 3-0 in a best of 7 series in NBA history. While I agree with you that he shouldn't have said it to the press, I'd call it realism rather than defeatism.

The leader of the team should never come out and say "they're better than us. we can't beat them." under any circumstance

[exstatic]

The leader of the team should never come out and say "they're better than us. we can't beat them." under any circumstance


No team has ever come back from 3-0 in a best of 7 series in NBA history. While I agree with you that he shouldn't have said it to the press, I'd call it realism rather than defeatism.

[Danny.Zhu]

I won't give up Tiago for Al.

[spurraider21]

exstatic i get you, and this is why i don't want him on the spurs. i don't want a player who says crap like that on my team. not to mention his defensive deficiencies. not worth the salary he's getting and is projected to get

[Juggity]

I won't give up Tiago for Al.

^ I wouldn't do the deal as a straight-up swap, Splitter for Jefferson, even if it were possible. Let alone give up 2 or 3 other players.

[Spurs4#5]

I haven't really looked at why the jazz would want tiago if he comes off the books at the end of the season but if they're looking to rebuild why not throw danny green and blair in there instead of tiago?...I know jazz have had interest in danny and it would also give them a descent pf in blair to be a back up

[exstatic]

Oh, and lol to everyone who thinks Tim and AlJ couldn't mesh offensively. While he isn't elite in the P'n'R, he's no scrub. I think the Tiago's number is 1.3ppp and AlJ is 1.1, In addition, he is an excellent pick and pop player, which Tiago absolutley is NOT, and he has a nice spot up jumper, which Tiago absolutely does NOT. He and Tim could alternate high and low.

[Russo21]

I think we can all agree we're happy to be hearing the Spurs name in the trade chatter. After 2 consecutive top seedings and 2 consecutive playoff ousters and once again bringing back the same team, I'm happy to even hear the spurs name involved in trade talk. Let's hope if talks are going on we make the right move and the new guy/guys gel seamlessly. I'm excited for whatever they pull off.

[Redshadows]

I guess, Pop would cut a lot Tim's regular season minutes. This interest for Al Jeff could even be motivated by all the issue Tim has had lately with his knee(s).
Do you think Splitter could play together with Al Jefferson?

[JR3]

Agreed

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

fan boy knows more than you think .... and tiago is someone who went through the mental breakdown that pop places on people with high expectations in order to reveal the true character of a particular player ...for instance benching tiago and starting matt bonner when tiago could be getting paid big bucks in europe a couple of years ago and yet he still stuck it out in order to be able to play with the spurs and get a chance to be next to his role model tim duncan .. now hes starting and doing better than anyone thought ..so why would pop trade a player like tiago who doesnt need to touch the ball half as much and be more effective than al jefferson ? al jefferson is in fact shorter and less defensive than tiago and doesnt run the pick and roll half as good??? so lets calm down guy theres reason to say what i said because it is a trade that is RIDICULOUS and DUMB !

[manufan10]

Splitter didn't play at all in that 2nd quarter, fwiw.

[Proxy]

The most attractive thing about Al is that he'd be a dependable come playoff time.

[Mark in Austin]

No way would I make this trade. Jefferson is too poor a player defensively.

[look_at_g_shred]

Oh, and lol to everyone who thinks Tim and AlJ couldn't mesh offensively. While he isn't elite in the P'n'R, he's no scrub. I think the Tiago's number is 1.3ppp and AlJ is 1.1, In addition, he is an excellent pick and pop player, which Tiago absolutley is NOT, and he has a nice spot up jumper, which Tiago absolutely does NOT. He and Tim could alternate high and low.

Agree.

[admiralsnackbar]

I don't understand why this is even being treated as anything more than the reporter's solution to a slow news day. We aren't going to get Jefferson for less than Tiago, and we aren't going to scuttle Tiago when he's finally finally producing within the system.

[OrEmuN]

Would Jackson + Bonner + fillers do the job ?
It seems that in last year series, one of the weakness of Jazz roster is 3 pointers/spacing.
Amongst their big men, Kanters & Favors have limited range and hence, they really can't play them together.
If Splitter is included, it does not make any sense as it will make their spacing worse and they can't play Favors with Splitters together.
Should they trade away Al Jefferson, they can resign millsap. Now Favors/Kanters + either Millsap/Bonner will give them better spacing.

[TDMVPDPOY]

either the spurs lookin at the future with a move done now...

i think there are better options

[look_at_g_shred]

either the spurs lookin at the future with a move done now...

i think there are better options
Like who?

[dunkman]

The Spurs would give up too much in that trade. Splitter is the starting center, it took a lot of work to get to this point. The Spurs can't just replace him with AJ, and expect the defense and offense is gonna work fine, even when on paper AJ is somewhat better player.

In addition, the Spurs need Jack, because he allows some small ball line-ups, can guard some bigger and stronger SF's and hit big shots, which is always valuable in the playoffs.

Finally, Mills brings instant offense against some teams.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Like who?

i want that aldridge clown on this team...

[look_at_g_shred]

i want that aldridge clown on this team...

Hellyeah! I've always loves his game no doubt!!

[timtonymanu]

It's all just a smokescreen, IMO. Remember when Danny Green was rumored to be traded for Josh Howard (another rumored trade with the Jazz - coincidence?) last season before it was really RJ for Jackson. If anything, the Spurs will make a move that will benefit the team for the playoffs.

[manufan10]

Splitter didn't play at all in that 2nd quarter, fwiw.

Forget it. :lol

[dougp]

Only way I'd do this trade: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bfujj49 and there's no way the Jazz would do that.

[Bruno]

Do you think Splitter could play together with Al Jefferson?

I think they would work well together. Big Al has really improved his offensive repertory since he entered the league with a midrange jumper and a better passing game.

[HI-FI]

big fan of Al, to me he's always seemed like a Spurs guy. but I hope we don't screw the pooch trading for him.

[Bruno]

You guys are so scared of the Spurs letting Splitter go, why don't you guys consider the fact that maybe Jazz doesn't even want Splitter? They already have Paul Millsap, Enes Kanter, AND Derrick Favors, who's just waiting to be a breakout player for them. The Jazz asking for Splitter just doesn't make sense if anything.

That's a very good point. The idea behind trading Al Jeff for Jazz would be that they won't re-sign him and Millsap to open playing time for Favors and Kanter. Getting Splitter don't really fit that plan.

To me, the biggest incentive for Utah to trade Al Jeff would be to get draft picks. They would love to get Kawhi but I highly doubt he would be available. They might want a guard like Mills, De Colo, Joseph, Neal or Green but he certainly wouldn't be the central piece of a trade. A good first round pick will be what Utah will seek. Spurs could offer a future lottery pick like Raptors did for Lowry and Memphis did to salary dump players.

[Ditty]

If they throw Ante Tomic in there I'm all for it

[superbigtime]

This must be BS. Doesn't make sense to give up Jack and Splitter.

[superbigtime]

Not only would this move weaken chemistry and give up too much, Jeff is just a boring player to watch. Splitter is fun to watch, he's got some interesting moves and he's just going to get better and better. He's getting better at the line too. Splitter has more upside, he's a better passer, he's in his third year in the system. Also acquiring Jeff would also muddle the offseason ... pretty doubtful Spurs would sign both. Otherwise Splitter seems more likely to stay with the Spurs. This would be such a bad bad move. If Jack gets moved, I would hope he wouldn't be paired with Splitter. I don't want Splitter going anywhere, period.

[TDMVPDPOY]

they have to t hrow in that ugly turd sophomore center of theres also....

[EricB]

Curious timvp ?doesnt this move if it where to happen, not improve their rebounding? Jefferson is a fantastic rebounder. Could playing with Duncan not help or improve his d?

I personally wouldn't do it not only cause of fit, but because Leonard wouldn't have a viable backup.

[99 Problems]

Just a thought, perhaps Timmeth has decided hey guys I realise now this season is it for me. So unless you going to splash 20 a season for Dwight who not coming here anyway why not go after the best 12-14m guy. Probably off the mark but if the goss is true something has ignited it.

[TDMVPDPOY]

trade doesnt make sense when we have heroes on the team that doesnt like to force feed the low post player...

[ElNono]

Don't forget that the Jazz are not on the driver's seat here either. They're going to lose Al at the end of the season for nothing if they don't manage a deal. And if Al isn't willing to sign an extension with a prospective team, that reduces the options considerably too. Not sure how many teams would like to give up much talent for a few months rental. Al always had nice things to say about the Spurs and Duncan. I could see where he would have an interest.

The question is whether Utah would take less than Tiago. I'm with Bruno on this one, they're probably more interested in picks. The question is if any other team can trade for better ones than what the Spurs can give them.

[TDMVPDPOY]

they are asking alot for a player who be FA...

give them jax, bonner, blair, draft picks, draft rights to farm....thats about it, any more than that, ur fckn up the roster depth going into the playoffs

[szkorhetz]

Just a thought, perhaps Timmeth has decided hey guys I realise now this season is it for me. So unless you going to splash 20 a season for Dwight who not coming here anyway why not go after the best 12-14m guy. Probably off the mark but if the goss is true something has ignited it.


I am a bit afraid of this too...

[Spursfanfromafar]

To me, the biggest incentive for Utah to trade Al Jeff would be to get draft picks. They would love to get Kawhi but I highly doubt he would be available. They might want a guard like Mills, De Colo, Joseph, Neal or Green but he certainly wouldn't be the central piece of a trade. A good first round pick will be what Utah will seek. Spurs could offer a future lottery pick like Raptors did for Lowry and Memphis did to salary dump players.

Draft picks and decent young guards. The Jazz seem severely deficient in wing play.

Al Jefferson + DeMarre Carroll for Stephen Jackson, Gary Neal, Matt Bonner + Corey Joseph + pick will not be a bad haul for either side.

[ElNono]

tbh, the player I don't want to part ways with is Jack... I think he's a good backup to Kawhi, and I'd like him to retire a Spur (with another ring, if possible)

[Prime Time]

:lol Not willing to give up Splitter for Jefferson. If you're team is about to acquire someone averaging 17ppg and 9rpg, Splitter may damn well be in the package.

Splitter and Jefferson are the same age, In case some of you forgot. Jefferson is one of the best free throw shooting bigs in the league, so no "Hack-An-Al"
Can Splitter even score without someone assisting him? Jefferson is amazing at creating his own shot.
In the playoffs, Once the defense cranks up TP won't be able to set up guys as easily. Tim Duncan is still near 40, he's not going to carry the Spurs past a series himself. Jefferson would be the perfect wild card to throw at opposing teams.

Also, can any other big on our roster shoot a midrange jumper? Baynes has popped a few in the D-League, that's it.

I like Tiago as much as the next Spurs fan, but let's face it.... In the playoffs once teams shut down TP, Tiago is going to be near useless (outside of his length/hustle). Jefferson can score in more effective ways outside of crazy inside shots/pick and roll layups.

Speaking of length and hustle... isn't that why we acquired Baynes in the first place? Duncan-Jefferson-Diaw-Baynes is an elite front court.

Tbh I'm more worried about losing Jackson than I am losing Tiago (In this scenario). Jack's playoff contribution is huge.

I must be missing something, Why is Jefferson not worth Tiago?

[jesterbobman]

A 3rd high level big would be good, but I'd think the best chance of getting Jefferson would be a 3 team deal. We'd look for a team with a good shooting 2/3 who Utah would want and send S-Jax and some assets to them(Some combo of Mills, Neal, Blair, a First), they send that guy to the Jazz to give a complement to Favors/Millsap/Kanter group of bigs, and we send some more assets to the Jazz(Blair as a 4th big would have some value).

e.g, With our 2013 1st going to the Magic

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=b4cwywf

We have to realise that our hoard of expirings is valuable, but only in getting other teams out of long term deals. Finding a team with different types of assets who want to save money and get out of long term money is probably the best option.

[Juggity]

I must be missing something, Why is Jefferson not worth Tiago?

Playoff value is based on two-way contribution?

[Prime Time]

Also, can any other big on our roster shoot a midrange jumper? Baynes has popped a few in the D-League, that's it.
Also, I forgot to mention how valuable mid-range shooting bigs are in the playoffs.
2012- Chris Bosh
2011- Dirk Nowitzki
2010- Pau Gasol
2009- Pau Gasol
2008- Kevin Garnett
2007- Robert Horry
2006-Udonis Haslem
2005- Robert Horry
2004- Rasheed Wallace

Tim Duncan/Jefferson would compliment eachother so well, Because they can both score in and outside the paint. It'll be shots falling left and right both in and out.

Didn't Ibaka kill us on mid-range shooting as well?

[TDMVPDPOY]

:lol Not willing to give up Splitter for Jefferson. If you're team is about to acquire someone averaging 17ppg and 9rpg, Splitter may damn well be in the package.



lol thinkin he avg that on the spurs system when his not the big 3 on offense,

[Prime Time]

Playoff value is based on two-way contribution?
Chris Bosh, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki say hi. None of them were amazing defenders, all of them were below average-solid. Much like Jefferson.
And all of them have defensive minds on their side, Much like Tim Duncan/Baynes.

[Prime Time]

lol thinkin he avg that on the spurs system when his not the big 3 on offense,
Of course not, But fact is AJ is a much versatile scorer than Tiago (which will be much needed once TP can't set up his shooters.)

[TDMVPDPOY]

Of course not, But fact is AJ is a much versatile scorer than Tiago (which will be much needed once TP can't set up his shooters.)

richard jefferson says hi

[Prime Time]

richard jefferson says hi
????? The problem was RJ couldn't get enough people to set him up, He was primary a spot up shooter/catch and shoot finisher. That's why he fit in so well with Kidd.
Al Jefferson on the other hand is a top 5 post scorer.

[Juggity]

Chris Bosh, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki say hi. None of them were amazing defenders, all of them were below average-solid. Much like Jefferson.
And all of them have defensive minds on their side, Much like Tim Duncan/Baynes.

Chris Bosh isn't amazing on defense, but he had an amazing, youthful defensive team around him last year. He's also better than Jefferson on defense. Pau Gasol carried Kobe to championships and played fair defense along the way. Again, he was not a stiff, slow-footed big like Jefferson. Dirk Nowitzki's outstanding offensive production in his 1 successful playoff run far outclasses anything that Jefferson can produce, and his defense is about on par with Jefferson's.

Splitter is quick on his feet, and the spurs are currently a top-5 defense in the league largely due to his impact

[chapnis]

I'd love to have big Al, but I don't think we will trade for him. We will have cap space next off-season though. If we could sign him that would be awesome.

[Hoops Czar]

Tiago is far from untouchable. Anyone who says Al Jeffersons pick n roll defense is bad obviously paid no attention to Splitter when he first got here. The guy was completely lost defensively. The Spurs have a solid coaching staff and pick n roll defense can be taught. Meanwhile, he's a pretty good lowpost threat with a decent midrange jumper, good rebounder and can block shots. Oh, and he's only 28. Yeah, if there is any truth to this rumor, I'm on board.

[MI21]

Haven't read the whole thread but after dealing with that other Jefferson, I don't want another.

[HarlemHeat37]

I'd do it if the Spurs can acquire a replacement for Jackson..they're already shaky on the wings, losing a backup with playoff experience would hurt..

A few years ago, I would have turned this deal down, as Jefferson had severe defensive issues, along with problems as a black hole..his passing has improved to average IMO, and he has become a below average defensive player, which is a notable improvement over his previous form..

I always believe in the Spurs system, tbh..I'd be confident that Jefferson would play hard in the Spurs system..acquiring a legit post scorer would give the Spurs a dimension they haven't had since 2008, and it would give the Spurs the best big man tandem the NBA has seen in a while..

Regardless, I highly doubt the Spurs make any notable trades..

[Ginobili2Duncan]

I don't believe this report. Even if the Spurs were interested in Jefferson,trading Splitter and Jackson is counterproductive. Splitter's entrance in the starting line-up and boost in minutes is a big reason why the Spurs are top 5 in defensive efficiency. And he and Duncan are finally learning how to play with one another.

Jackson for some of his shortcomings, gives the Spurs more versatility. He can match up with bigger SF's and makes an excellent small-ball PF. If he is traded, then make sure you're getting a back-up SF otherwise that means Green and Ginobili will take on that role.

If the Spurs are interested in a big-man who can contribute right away, I'd rather they look at lesser names like Dalembert or Thompson. Guys that most likely don't require trading Splitter or Jackson.

Overall, I don't think the Spurs need to make a trade. For one I don't necessarily see one out there that would without a doubt them better. Splitter has now established his role as the 2nd big on this team and Baynes was just signed and will likely be the 4th big going forward.

[Hoops Czar]

No Boris Diaw would take on the role of backup SF, not Green and/or Ginobili. And I won't miss Jackson one bit.

[Redshadows]

I think they would work well together. Big Al has really improved his offensive repertory since he entered the league with a midrange jumper and a better passing game.
If they work together well, the Spurs frontcourt would probably rule the whole NBA. But trading SJax would make the SF position weaker. Only Leonard is not enough to defend Durant and LBJ.

[BatManu20]

Cheap insurance for the Spurs. Move Bonner and Blair and get O'Neal from the Suns and I really HATE to say this, but get Fisher to run backup pg.

My eyes would burn out of their sockets if I ever saw Derek Fisher in a Spurs uniform.

[travis2]

I see a lot of posts with some variant of the comment "defense can be taught". True statement...if we had an off-season and training camp to do it. Mid-season? With practice time very limited? I don't think so.

Picking up a defensive liability now hurts any playoff run this season.

[TJastal]

trade doesnt make sense when we have heroes on the team that doesnt like to force feed the low post player...

Heh. Lad has a point. :tu

[Bruno]

But trading SJax would make the SF position weaker.

I'm not sure of that.

Jack has been real bad this year. If you are optimistic, you can say that he is coasting and his finger injury is bothering him. If you are pessimistic, you can say that, at 35 for the next playoffs, he is done. I don't know what stance to take.

I jack is traded, Spurs would likely play a lot of 3 guards lineups with Ginobili/Green playing some SF. Diaw could also play some SF against specific opponents and Spurs could sign a defensive minded SF like Dominic McGuire.

[Bruno]

Draft picks and decent young guards. The Jazz seem severely deficient in wing play.

Al Jefferson + DeMarre Carroll for Stephen Jackson, Gary Neal, Matt Bonner + Corey Joseph + pick will not be a bad haul for either side.

My guess for a potential trade would be:
Spurs trade Jackson+Blair+Bonner+ 2 1st round picks for Al Jefferson.
Utah trade Al Jefferson for Jackson+Bonner+ 2 1st.
A third team that will take Blair for nothing.

[Boomersgold]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Patty's ability to veto any trade. Would he even want to go to the Jazz? What can the Jazz give him that the Spurs can't? Wouldn't he want to play with Baynes and under Brown due to the fact that they're all members of the Boomers?

[Mel_13]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Patty's ability to veto any trade. Would he even want to go to the Jazz? What can the Jazz give him that the Spurs can't? Wouldn't he want to play with Baynes and under Brown due to the fact that they're all members of the Boomers?

The whole notion of this trade is a product of Sheridan's imagination and his desire to drive traffic to his website. No need to bother with pesky details like Patty's ability to veto a trade when the whole business is pure speculation.

[exstatic]

My guess for a potential trade would be:
Spurs trade Jackson+Blair+Bonner+ 2 1st round picks for Al Jefferson.
Utah trade Al Jefferson for Jackson+Bonner+ 2 1st.
A third team that will take Blair for nothing.
Why on earth would ANYONE give up two first rounders for a rental?

[Spursfanfromafar]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Patty's ability to veto any trade. Would he even want to go to the Jazz? What can the Jazz give him that the Spurs can't? Wouldn't he want to play with Baynes and under Brown due to the fact that they're all members of the Boomers?

The Jazz don't really have a PG except for either washed up veterans or injured SGs who masquerade as PGs. Patty Mills might get more minutes there for the Jazz than he does for the Spurs.

That said, all this thing about Sheridan's scoop is based on a pack of cards with a basement full of rumors. So..

[elemento]

Why on earth would ANYONE give up two first rounders for a rental?

THIS

Utah got Al Jefferson is his prime with 3 years remaining for 2 late 1st round picks. He is not worth 2 first round picks + expirings as a 1/2 year rental.

[Hoops Czar]

A third team would have to be involved. I'm pretty sure the Jazz have a full roster.

[elemento]

The whole notion of this trade is a product of Sheridan's imagination and his desire to drive traffic to his website. No need to bother with pesky details like Patty's ability to veto a trade when the whole business is pure speculation.

THIS 100x

A stopped reading it when Sheridan said that Al Jefferson would help SA in terms of rim protection. He doesn't watch basketball at all.

[TJastal]

Oh, and lol to everyone who thinks Tim and AlJ couldn't mesh offensively. While he isn't elite in the P'n'R, he's no scrub. I think the Tiago's number is 1.3ppp and AlJ is 1.1, In addition, he is an excellent pick and pop player, which Tiago absolutley is NOT, and he has a nice spot up jumper, which Tiago absolutely does NOT. He and Tim could alternate high and low.

Ya, but who is going to get "Big Al" to go out and set 20+ picks every night? You? Which all ties in to the hustle factor. No more fast break points from Tiago's hustling down the court, "Big Al" will be loafing up the court most nights. Transition defense will defenitely take a hit also.

[dbestpro]

My guess for a potential trade would be:
Spurs trade Jackson+Blair+Bonner+ 2 1st round picks for Al Jefferson.
Utah trade Al Jefferson for Jackson+Bonner+ 2 1st.
A third team that will take Blair for nothing.

Throw in Carroll for the backup SF and you got a deal.

[silverblk mystix]

This thread is going to be a ten pager full of nothing isn't it?

[look_at_g_shred]

Throw in Carroll for the backup SF and you got a deal.

[eDizzle20]

I can't see Utah making the deal with San Antonio unless they get someone of value in return. You can toss in 1st round picks, but they will late first rounders and Utah could get a lot better than that from another other contending teams. The Spurs with absolute certainty would have to give up Splitter, since he is an RFA at the end of the year and Utah could match any offer another team would make. Most of these proposals are all for guys that have expiring contracts (i.e. Blair and Jackson), which is what Jefferson is so I don't see the point.

[Richie]

I can't see Utah making the deal with San Antonio unless they get someone of value in return. You can toss in 1st round picks, but they will late first rounders and Utah could get a lot better than that from another other contending teams. The Spurs with absolute certainty would have to give up Splitter, since he is an RFA at the end of the year and Utah could match any offer another team would make. Most of these proposals are all for guys that have expiring contracts (i.e. Blair and Jackson), which is what Jefferson is so I don't see the point.

We could likely get him for Green + expirings + 2013 1st.

[McGusto55]

Noooooo.....nottttt jackkkkkk....

[elemento]

I can't see Utah making the deal with San Antonio unless they get someone of value in return. You can toss in 1st round picks, but they will late first rounders and Utah could get a lot better than that from another other contending teams. The Spurs with absolute certainty would have to give up Splitter, since he is an RFA at the end of the year and Utah could match any offer another team would make. Most of these proposals are all for guys that have expiring contracts (i.e. Blair and Jackson), which is what Jefferson is so I don't see the point.

The Jazz got BIG Al with 2 late picks when he was younger and was not expiring. Why the heck should SA pay more ? There's a reason for that. He isn't that good.

[Bruno]

Throw in Carroll for the backup SF and you got a deal.

I don't think Utah would do it. They like Carroll and there are some real bad blood between Utah and Jack. If Jack is traded to Utah, it should end with a buyout and so Utah won't have a replacement for Carroll.

Another issue is that it would put Spurs over the tax even if it could be solved by Spurs trading another player (Neal, Mills, De Colo, Joseph..).

[Bruno]

You can toss in 1st round picks, but they will late first rounders and Utah could get a lot better than that from another other contending teams.

That's half true. It's far from sure Spurs will still be a contender in 2019 (2019 is the last year teams are allow to trade a pick).

For example, Spurs could offer a package of 2 picks.
- Their 2013 first round pick.
- A future pick that will have the following protection: top 3 and top 15-30 protected in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and unprotected in 2019.

[vander]

I'd trade Jackson and 2 first rounders for Jefferson, Al Jefferson

[eDizzle20]

I just watching a bit of Big Al's game against the Clips on 12/30/12. His help D is awful. For the life of me I don't understand why the guy won't contest shots. Even if he just puts a hand up it would be better than what he does now. Pop would just need to give him a kick in ass. His post offense is unbelievable however. His footwork and fakes are probably the best in the league down low. A guy like Big Al would be useful when the game slows down come playoff time. Yes, the Spurs have the best record making it hard to justify any trade, but we've seen how things have played out the past 2 seasons.

[rascal]

Splitter can't jump and plays below the rim for a big. Jefferson would do a better job in protecting the rim. Also Jefferson is a stronger offensive player. The spurs are not winning with the current bigs as constructed. Still too soft on the interior and protecting the rim from athletic slashers.

If Jefferson is your top player then your in trouble, he isn't good enough to carry a team but as the 3rd best player he would be a great fit.

[024]

the key is really keeping tiago. a three headed rotation of duncan/jefferson/splitter is pretty damn nice. spurs need someone who can score in the low post when the guards start choking and miss their jumpshots. jefferson is as good of a post player than anyone in the league. it would be nicer than watching tiago's awkward post moves and weak hook shots. it's also very low risk if the spurs keep tiago.

[look_at_g_shred]

the key is really keeping tiago. a three headed rotation of duncan/jefferson/splitter is pretty damn nice. spurs need someone who can score in the low post when the guards start choking and miss their jumpshots. jefferson is as good of a post player than anyone in the league. it would be nicer than watching tiago's awkward post moves and weak hook shots. it's also very low risk if the spurs keep tiago.

I think it's a no brainer if we can keep Tiago.

[rascal]

I'd trade Jackson and 2 first rounders for Jefferson, Al Jefferson

I'd rather keep the two first rounders than Splitter. Those future first rounders could be lottery picks and the spurs need their top picks because it is the only way they build their team.

[Paranoid Pop]

Wonder if Greens value is high enough to get us something nice.

Mostly thinking about Garnett tbh. Tiago + Green + Sjax + picks for Garnett + bad contract (Bass?)

[jjktkk]

Splitter can't jump and plays below the rim for a big. Jefferson would do a better job in protecting the rim. Also Jefferson is a stronger offensive player. The spurs are not winning with the current bigs as constructed. Still too soft on the interior and protecting the rim from athletic slashers.

If Jefferson is your top player then your in trouble, he isn't good enough to carry a team but as the 3rd best player he would be a great fit.

Jefferson plays below the rim and is a bad defender. How do you see that as "a better job protecting the rim"? Splitter is a much better defender than Jefferson.

[eDizzle20]

I was at the Spurs-Wolves (I live in MN) game last night 1 row up from floor seats. In front of me just to my right were Bill Land and Sean ******. A couple seats over was a Spurs reporter. I can't think of his name, but he is always at the Spurs games (he's essentially bald). Just to his left was a guy with charted plays and on the sheets they had the Utah Jazz logo (maybe a scout for the Jazz). I knows teams are always scouting one another for talent and matchups, but I thought it was ironic considering all of this Al Jefferson talk. Anyway, take it for what's it worth.

[TJastal]

Wonder if Greens value is high enough to get us something nice.

Mostly thinking about Garnett tbh. Tiago + Green + Sjax + picks for Garnett + bad contract (Bass?)

So you would decimate the teams' wing depth, unload a potential future all star center in his prime, AND for good measure cripple the teams' future... all for a 36 year old prehistoric artifact who is fast approaching 60,000 career nba minutes and hasn't logged an injury free season in almost a decade.. whom Tim Duncan can't stand and won't get along with? Wow... .. sounds groovy man.

[Paranoid Pop]

Hm the plot thickens....

I'm not sure about big Al but I'm not sure about Splitter tbh.

Still would rather get Garnett.

Thing is Garnett is said to refuse to be traded if Pierce isnt traded as well.

Makes things even harder.

[Paranoid Pop]

So you would decimate the teams' wing depth, unload a potential future all star center in his prime, AND for good measure cripple the teams' future... all for a 36 year old prehistoric artifact who is fast approaching 60,000 career nba minutes and hasn't logged an injury free season in almost a decade.. whom Tim Duncan can't stand and won't get along with? Wow... .. sounds groovy man.

Bet Garnett wont be hacked in the PO. Bet Splitter will never sniff an all star game. Bet it'd give us a better shot to win now, who cares about the after Duncan, do you think Splitter who relies so much on the system and guards plays can do much once Tim and Manu are gone?

[TJastal]

Bet Garnett wont be hacked in the PO. Bet Splitter will never sniff an all star game. Bet it'd give us a better shot to win now, who cares about the after Duncan, do you think Splitter who relies so much on the system and guards plays can do much once Tim and Manu are gone?

Did you deliberately leave out the one guy whom will be most likely hanging around after Tim/Manu retire? That being Parker. Splitter is proving himself a very reliable and deadly partner in the P&R game with Parker. This can become a staple of future spurs' offenses, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Splitter start increasing his range eventually to make himself even more deadly. Hell, if Blair can do it...

[Richie]

That's half true. It's far from sure Spurs will still be a contender in 2019 (2019 is the last year teams are allow to trade a pick).

For example, Spurs could offer a package of 2 picks.
- Their 2013 first round pick.
- A future pick that will have the following protection: top 3 and top 15-30 protected in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and unprotected in 2019.

No chance we give up a lottery pick for him. We will be rebuilding from scratch come 2015, Jefferson isn't worth us losing out on a high pick.

Jefferson would also give us a piece to trade come 2015. Lets say he re signs, in 2015 if we decide we aren't competitive, Parker, Jefferson and Splitter could all get us lottery picks.