An interesting trade for Al Jefferson that doesn't include Tiago Splitter

[MarHill]

found this on Bleacher Report and this could be a realistic trade the Spurs can do:

San Antonio Spurs receive: Al Jefferson

Utah Jazz receive: Stephen Jackson, Marreese Speights, Patrick Mills

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: Gary Neal, DeJuan Blair

Last but not least—the Al Jefferson drama:

Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops broke the news about a potential deal between the Spurs and the Utah Jazz, in which San Antonio would acquire center Al Jefferson, as the Jazz attempt to deal the big man prior to the expiration of his contract.

In Sheridan's report, in which he labeled the Spurs as "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," Sheridan proposed a deal in which the Spurs would send Stephen Jackson, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills for Jefferson.

The inclusion of Splitter's name drew immediate backlash from the San Antonio community, which was unwilling to consider parting with their newest frontcourt starter.

Though including Splitter may at first seem like the only way to interest Utah, adding a third team to the mix would certainly add to the possibilities.

Marreese Speights was recently sent from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he has been excellent.

Despite his production, his time in Cleveland may be short-lived, as another deal involving the big man may be developing, per Marc Stein of ESPN:

Don't be shocked if the Cavaliers decide to move Speights on again before the Feb. 21 deadline.

The Cavs obviously aren't in the playoff hunt and word is they're already receiving interest in Speights, who possesses a $4.5 million player option for next season. The Cavs are also armed with $12 million in expiring contracts and roughly $4 million in leftover cap space for the summer, which means they've got the tools to continue to be active before this deadline.

In return for Speights, the Spurs could send the Cavaliers Gary Neal to assist with their bench production, as well as DeJuan Blair—should Cleveland ask for him too, in order to fill the hole in the frontcourt.

Speights, who has proven to be just as talented as Splitter at times while also being younger and more affordable, should draw the attention of the Jazz, who would also receive Jackson and Mills, both of whom were included in Sheridan's original trade.

If needed, future picks could be included, as might a European prospect. With a rising star in Speights, a point guard to fill the void in Utah's offense as well as a valuable veteran who also possesses an extremely attractive expiring deal, it would be hard to imagine the Jazz not even considering parting ways with their soon-to-be free agent.

The Spurs would have to bid farewell to an abundance of players, but they would be acquiring Al Jefferson in the process without having to include Splitter.

Jefferson, like Hickson, would give the Spurs another big man to help them go deep into the playoffs, while also providing them with a valuable asset for the future.

[MarHill]

Here's the link:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1534647-3-last-minute-trades-the-san-antonio-spurs-should-propose

The only thing is that this trade hurts the Spurs back-up point guard depth...even though Mills and Neal are more shooting guards than point guards.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

So, of the 6 players in that trade, the Spurs send out the 4 worst and receive the best. :lol If they had spent more than a minute on this and done a little bit of research they'd have included CoJo instead of Mills.

[MarHill]

Good point.

I guess they got the Splitter backlash and was trying to think of new trades on the fly. :lol

[Destro]

Sjax out again with personal issues...I'm guessing He's pissed about the trade talk

[MarHill]

Naw...I believe there is real issues going on with his family. Pop has always been a straight shooter when it comes to trades.

[DesignatedT]

Sjax out again with personal issues...I'm guessing He's pissed about the trade talk

Your guess would be wrong.

[Captivus]

whats Jefferson salary agreement?

[superbigtime]

Losing 4 players and gaining 1? Well, if it gets the Spurs Al Jefferson (or milsap), just about any deal which doesn't involve Tiago, Kawhi, and the Big 3 should be executed. I would hate to lose Neal though. He is better than many here think, and he will win the Spurs a few games. I know alot of people here are cold on Neal, but without him, Spurs lose to the Cavs the other week tbh. Yeah his chuck ball can be painful, but he has improved with passing and his in between game, not to mention his defense. Plus he's cheap. I think Jax is done though, and using his contract to gain a player with caliber of Al Jeff is a no brainer.

[silverblackfan]

Pipe dream that the trade would happen, but honestly the only trade I have seen including Jackson that would give the Spurs better depth. Still think the Spurs would miss Jackson's toughness in the playoffs, but Jefferson would always be a threat and might learn some better team defense.
You can see why these trade articles live on. The thought of Duncan, Splitter and Jefferson on the front court is enticing.

Side note- how long would it take the fans to think of Big Al when Jefferson's name is brought up? I think it would take me at least 6 months to not think of RJ stinking up the lineup and being soft.

[Captivus]

Neal playing with Irving...nice
I also like Neal, but the Spurs have to give something to get something. I like this trade.
EDIT: Contract details??? Thats not minor

[Man In Black]

I hate this deal because I think that that is so much change for just 1 player. It's past mid-season and you think you want to change all the cohesion and gameplay style to accommodate 1 player who at best is a 4th option on offense and not a defensive juggernaut on the other side of the court? I just don't see it.
Maybe for Josh Smith, I can see it a little but even with that guy, still a 4th option and but a capable defender.

[superbigtime]

Heck I sure wouldn't mind having Marreese Speights.

[Darkwaters]

Why would the Cavs want to trade Speights for Blair/Neal?

They really like Speights and Blair is being sold on the cheap right now. Besides, if they want Neal (or Blair) they can just bid on them this offseason.

[cd021]

Utah Gets
Blair
Jackson
Cory Joseph
1st Rounder

Spurs Get
Al Jefferson/Paul Milsap
+ trade filler

[Darkwaters]

Utah Gets
Blair
Jackson
Cory Joseph
1st Rounder

Spurs Get
Al Jefferson/Paul Milsap
+ trade filler

Millsap: http://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/6243625
Jefferson: http://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/6243626

They add up. Except that the Jazz have 15 players under contract and would have to cut two players outright in order to even make this work.

Oh, and whatever filler the Spurs get back would have to include a backup SF. Not sure I trust whomever that might end up being.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

this deal seems kinda possible to me.

i really don't want to see sjax traded. i'll never forget his performance in the okc series last year. i think al jefferson would be worth it, though. jefferson has a hard on for timmy. if he came here and timmy became his mentor. watch out for jefferson.

blair to cavs made sense last year, makes sense this year. if anybody can get quality minutes out of blair, i bet it's the team closest to pitt. blair always shines there, and i'm also a byron scott fan.

i love the idea of the spurs trading neal. he's kinda in the same boat as blair. undersized on the defensive end. quality players on offensive. expiring, so they need to be cashed in on the trade market. i don't want either re-signed for more than minimum. most importantly, getting rid of them fixes rotation problems with mills and baynes.

speaking of mills. he's the one part of this trade i just don't like. he makes sense for utah cause utah needs a point. it also makes sense to give cojo a chance to move onto the team and get minutes.

i just like mills. i believe in him with his speed and 3. i think point is the one area on a team that can afford a little ineptness on defense. see tony parker. i believe in a mills and baynes aussie connection, like a believe in a decolo diaw frechy connection. add manu, jefferson, or bonner it doesn't matter. that's scary bench. i don't care how many open roster spots that leaves.

[moisaenz]

Jefferson would improve defensively given the scenario of being yelled at by pop, the system, and he not being the primary defensive guy, also him being mentored by tim duncan.. unless we get another point guard spurs are gambling on manu's health... this is the first year that if we had a good backup pg we would not rely on manus health... but it is what it is.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Jefferson would improve defensively given the scenario of being yelled at by pop, the system, and he not being the primary defensive guy, also him being mentored by tim duncan.. unless we get another point guard spurs are gambling on manu's health... this is the first year that if we had a good backup pg we would not rely on manus health... but it is what it is.

:lol

You should have used blue font tbh

[Steve-O-Matic]

Not that I'm much of a fan of the any of the Spurs players in this proposal, but there's no way the Spurs are going to gut their backcourt/wings in a 4-for-1 deal for a PF/C. This deal would leave the Spurs with just three legitimate wings for two positions - Manu, Green, Kawhi (De Colo would have to focus on PG almost exclusively with Mills gone), and no backup SF.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

Not that I'm much of a fan of the any of the Spurs players in this proposal, but there's no way the Spurs are going to gut their backcourt/wings in a 4-for-1 deal for a PF/C. This deal would leave the Spurs with just three legitimate wings for two positions - Manu, Green, Kawhi (De Colo would have to focus on PG almost exclusively with Mills gone), and no backup SF.

diaw would be a 3 if jefferson were here

[DrunkTXLabrat]

diaw would be a 3 if jefferson were here

also decolo would move to 2 because cojo would be getting called up for sure. i'd rather have decolo as one so i don't like that aspect of this hypothetical trade. but that would be the rotation.

[Steve-O-Matic]

Cory Joseph is not suddenly going to become the Spurs primary back up PG for the playoff stretch, that's absurd. If he was capable of that he'd already be in the rotation. And Diaw would be a liablility playing major minutes at SF, he's not a wing player anymore.

Try again.

[txstr1986]

I am always amazed at how many people actually read Bleacher Report.

[Brunodf]

Jefferson would improve defensively given the scenario of being yelled at by pop, the system, and he not being the primary defensive guy, also him being mentored by tim duncan.. unless we get another point guard spurs are gambling on manu's health... this is the first year that if we had a good backup pg we would not rely on manus health... but it is what it is.
:lol

[MarHill]

Bleacher Report is okay for what it is.

I just wanted to get some discussion from this thread. No big deal.

Especially with some of the bad trade proposals I've seen over the years on ST......this is at least realistic scenario.

I don't believe the Spurs will do this trade because it does hurt their backcourt depth. However, I could see it being a possibility because Jefferson could be the lynchpin into a post Big 3 era.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

Cory Joseph is not suddenly going to become the Spurs primary back up PG for the playoff stretch, that's absurd. If he was capable of that he'd already be in the rotation. And Diaw would be a liablility playing major minutes at SF, he's not a wing player anymore.

Try again.

okay.

basically i buy the jefferson improves on defense theory.

baynes and bonner share increased role player level minutes at 5. i think that works cause the spurs will be very situation cautious. baynes is the bench splitter, and bonner is just a slump spark.

jefferson is the full time bench timmy. mostly with baynes and bonner, but occasionally with splitter. jefferson is smart and enthused. paired with baynes and splitter for help defense. i'd expect jeffersons blocks to go up.

diaw and manu split minutes at 3. i buy that. baynes, catching on or not, is still gonna get the bench splitter minutes until pop figures him out. diaw has to be the 3 and i don't think he's as big a defensive liablity as you think. he's gonna have a good interior defense rotation to back him up. manu is the 3 in a diaw isn't cutting situation.

manu is the 2 obviously. imagine his game, with jefferson in his bench squad. decolo is the 2 insurance, and i love that. his defense and shot are suspect. but i'm big on nando. he's tall and quck enough. and i think he can hawk passing lanes just as good as he can pass. speaking of his passing ability, he doesn't need to shoot. i'd rather he keep dishing dimes. defenses have to respect nando passes so much, he's got any shot opportunity he wants. and i trust he can knock them down.

don't believe in cojo as the primary backup point? well i dunno how you can say that. who knows what cojo can do if given the minutes? i think he'd be fine, but it doesn't matter. decolo is a dream backup point. his court vision makes everybody look better. cojo simply wouldn't be the primary backup point.

[freetiago]

Jefferson has never played with the caliber of shooters/spacing SA has
i believe Jazz are usually been one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in terms of % and 3 pts made dating back to the sloan days
he would become better on offense by that alone and because hell actually have a PG setting him up
defensively he would play the PF/splitter role of guarding a post up guy and going out on the perimeter
SA already gets torched from midrange anyway so he cant be that much worse
he can probably do a decent job of guarding post up guys/weaker offensive option but really there isnt even that many post up bigs in the league today

SA needs to get rid of all the useless depth they have and get back quality talent
trading away guys who cant dribble the basketball, pass it, or are undersized with bad physical abilities for a 20 ppg low post scorer is a deal you make

[spurraider21]

Deal for Milsap, not Jefferson. Better fit and he's less likely to give attitude as far as having a bench role.

[Bruno]

This trade is just bad.

Adding a third team to a trade for Al Jefferson or Smith might help build a better trade but not like that.

[look_at_g_shred]

Jefferson has never played with the caliber of shooters/spacing SA has
i believe Jazz are usually been one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in terms of % and 3 pts made dating back to the sloan days
he would become better on offense by that alone and because hell actually have a PG setting him up
defensively he would play the PF/splitter role of guarding a post up guy and going out on the perimeter
SA already gets torched from midrange anyway so he cant be that much worse
he can probably do a decent job of guarding post up guys/weaker offensive option but really there isnt even that many post up bigs in the league today

SA needs to get rid of all the useless depth they have and get back quality talent
trading away guys who cant dribble the basketball, pass it, or are undersized with bad physical abilities for a 20 ppg low post scorer is a deal you make

Great point. :toast

[Seventyniner]

SA needs to get rid of all the useless depth they have and get back quality talent
trading away guys who cant dribble the basketball (Bowen), pass it (K. Thomas), or are undersized with bad physical abilities (Oberto) for a 20 ppg low post scorer (He Who Shall Not Me Named) is a deal you make

/facepalm


And idgaf that ol' #24 wasn't a low post scorer.

[Sdayi135]

Deal for Milsap, not Jefferson. Better fit and he's less likely to give attitude as far as having a bench role.

[cd021]

Millsap: http://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/6243625
Jefferson: http://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/6243626

They add up. Except that the Jazz have 15 players under contract and would have to cut two players outright in order to even make this work.

Oh, and whatever filler the Spurs get back would have to include a backup SF. Not sure I trust whomever that might end up being.

Bell still on there roster? If He is he could be including (depending on salary of course) and Kawhi could play 34-36 a night. Bell could fill in the rest. If we are desperate, Diaw can play SF like he has for most of his career.

[Darkwaters]

You realize that Raja hasn't played a game this whole season because of a contract dispute, right? Plus hes on the books for $3.5M. No, Raja doesn't make sense.

And Diaw at SF? Sure, in the right setting and in the right matchup...but as the everyday backup? No.

[therealtruth]

basically i buy the jefferson improves on defense theory.


I don't. I remember everyone though RJ would become a better defender. A Bruce Bowen with more offense. Didn't happen. Players don't change their stripes that quickly. If they haven't bothered playing defense for several years they won't start now.

[cd021]

Deal for Milsap, not Jefferson. Better fit and he's less likely to give attitude as far as having a bench role.

Splitter should move back to the bench and form a 3 player PF-C rotation Each could still play 30 minutes a game considering there are 96 total minutes there. Jefferson has made the playoffs once in 8 seasons. I bet he doesn't care as long as he is a big contributor on a legit team.

[cd021]

You realize that Raja hasn't played a game this whole season because of a contract dispute, right? Plus hes on the books for $3.5M. No, Raja doesn't make sense.

And Diaw at SF? Sure, in the right setting and in the right matchup...but as the everyday backup? No.

I know that Raja has yet to play this season but Kawhi can definitely log 36 minutes a night. Raja has history with the spurs. I'm not saying he comes off the couch and starts. 12-15 is something he should be more than capable of doing. There are still plenty of Spurs fans who want Kenyon Martin on the team despite him not playing since last May (9 months). We would need to take back another player because we would be moving 3 (in my proposal: Joseph/De Colo, Jackson, Blair) for Jefferson/Millsap. Bell would be an UFA so it would take anything away from our future cap flex.

Most teams don't have the roster space to take back 2 additional players outright + Utah has had problems with Bell for the better part of 2 seasons. Completely agree that Diaw is a situational SF, which is what i meant. Against teams like the Clippers, Jazz, & even Grizzlies he could play SF in the post season as none of those teams have a potent SF to cover. Since arriving in San Antonio last season (through the post season + this season) he is hitting 47.7% of his 3pt shots so he has the range to play of the wing and is still agile enough to attack off the dribble (he even showed that last season in the post season when he was, at least 25lbs bigger than he is now).

[cd021]

I don't. I remember everyone though RJ would become a better defender. A Bruce Bowen with more offense. Didn't happen. Players don't change their stripes that quickly. If they haven't bothered playing defense for several years they won't start now.

Post defense tends to be easier than guarding the 2 guard position. Where the better scorers usually are. + didn't one of the spurs better defensive lineups (in terms of per 100 possessions )include Jefferson and Blair? Jefferson is 6-10 give or take several inches taller than blair and probably gambles less than Blair overall. Playing with Duncan who is .4 behind Sanders for league leader in blocks per game should help erase some of the mistakes with help D. You can't tell me that you wouldn't trust him to stop the offensive juggernaut know as the OKC big man rotation (Ibaka, Thabeet, Collison, Perkins) on the block. Truth is that really only 1 team in the west can hurt us in the post (Memphis) but they cant realistically beat us in a 7 game series.

[maverick1948]

This trade would put the Spurs over the LUXURY TAX level. We would have to add 2 players to our roster to fill out the required number of players. The incoming salary of Jefferson puts us over the luxury tax, then add in 2 cheap salaries and we are paying 18.5 million for Jefferson instead of 15mil. Then we have the worry of resigning him to a contract. What if he gets an offer he prefers to SA? No way SA does this trade. Maybe Jax, Bonner, Blair and Neal. This would leave us enough money to replace the 2 empty roster spots and not go into the luxury tax. This is the only way I would do the trade and then I would have to think long and hard on it.

[Mal]

I think that Smith trade have better chances than this one. Rival sending their best player for Spurs` crap and Speights ? RC isnt that good.