Spurs possible destination for top 5 FA

[TXstbobcat]

The free agent that should be pursued is Nikola Pekovic.

I think the wolves will match any offer for him.

[Russ]

Maybe it's me, but I personally don't see the Spurs being big players in free agency this summer.

As opposed to any other summer?

[Spurious]

Smith could be awesome. And some nights he is. But he'll save you and kill you both...sometimes on alternating plays for a whole night. Make today's Manu a PF without consistent compe ive effort or any feel for the game and you have this guy. Of course, Manu's bald spot holds more feel for the game than Smith has in his entire body. Not to mention he lacks Manu's current excuse of old age/fleeting health. Only the Javale McGees of the world make Smith seem to have a halfway reasonable basketball IQ. The Hawks' 11 season ticketholders aren't exactly threatening a boycott if he leaves town. Maybe Pop and the team's core could bring this guy around, but that would be a whole lot of investment to base on hope. As talented as he is, I just don't know if he's really that missing piece.

[DPG21920]

PEK is a weak defender. He is also much more limited when you have someone who's not injured next to him. He had a great year, and he's very solid, but you can't pay someone that much that can be muted when surrounded by talent.

With regards to the Al Jefferson v Tiago thoughts - that is an interesting one. On paper, Spurs were a stout defense and were built to have a solid inside game. Tiago, while efficient, has shown his limitations repeadetly. The only real teams where post defense are critical are MEM/INDY/LAL essentially. In the West, LAL might not be as critical if they lose Dwight. Even with him, what are the odds of having to play both to get to the finals? The team to beat is obviously MIA and in that situation, Tiago was basically rendered useless. In that situation, would having someone as offensively talented in the low block to punish MIA for going small like Tiago could not make the difference?

[Sean Cagney]

signing either of them. The Spurs have no need whatsoever at SF with Leonard here and on a cheap contract. They desperately need a legit backup PG.

That is the truth!

[TheGreatYacht]

Maybe it's me, but I personally don't see the Spurs being big players in free agency this summer - outside or resigning their own.

No championship for sure next year because Duncan and Parker will be one year older and possibly slower. FO needs to use that cap space to get some help.

The Spurs are going to make an effort to land some one in FA Spurs dont usually make moves in the offseason but they Ned to make a move to help Timmy get #5

Thank you.

They can create his own shot and attack the basket. But to me what makes him interesting is he's arguably one of the best passing wing players in the league. He's happy averaging 13/5/5.

I think Chipp Engelland would be able to do some wonders with Iggy's shooting.

Iggy is amazing, he is a big upgrade to what we have. He scores just fine and is athletic. Plus Iggy is big enough to play a SF role.

I wouldn't mind Iggy coming off the bench to play with the second unit along with Manu. A guy that can pass, defend, rebound, slash to the basket, I mean what else can you ask for? His shooting can improve if he works with Chipp.

Iggy seems like a Richard Jefferson 2.0 reach by the front office. Josh Smith could be good

I disagree. RJ could not do any of the things I mentioned earlier.

LOL RJ??? Now that you mention that, it makes me very nervous lol. Maybe we don't want Iggy around.....I think Iggy is quite a bit better, but I can see some similarities TBH. That is a big big turn off. Al Jefferson anyone? That's the one player I think the Spurs need the most.

Same here. Al Jefferson and Jarrett Jack would be nice. Maybe they can be talked into taking "a championship discount."

True, but money talks. If someone wants money, and a shot at a ring. San Antonio wouldn't be a bad place this year. They have the negotiating power of making it to the Finals this past season. A Finals they should have won....whoever they court can "be the missing piece." Make them feel special lol. We don't need a lot of quality FA's just one difference maker. If our front office truly believes we can get back and win a ring with the same team, I think we all know they are wrong. A year older for the big 3....we need one more difference maker on this team. It has to happen. Manu is slowing, obviously, Parker is way to inconsistent(IMHO it's due to his size) and Timmy is a beast!!! A 37 year old beast. He is what he is. He needs help. I don't see why we can't resign Splitter, not saying I want that, and still add another quality FA. Of course that means letting a few mediocre players walk. Boner, Neal, Blair, etc. We need to see what we have in Nando anyway, he is a creator and has a lil more size than Neal. We need to give CoJo a few more minutes, Neal leaving does that. Neal is limited on D, and can only really shoot the 3, and doesn't create. With Bonner and Blair gone, Baynes can get more minutes, we don't really know his upside, but we know we get no upside with Bonner and Blair.

Bingo. I don't understand some of the conservatives on these forums that are happy with staying pat while Duncan and TP get a year older. Duncan WILL be 38. This ain't 2009 or 2010 anymore.

For various reasons, the Spurs have never picked up a quality free agent--EVER. Those reasons are still in place. We will not pick one up this year either.

Exactly what I meant by conservatives. I don't know if you said what you said because you lost faith in the FO picking up FA's or because you actually endorse the idea but people like yourself are the ones that annoy me the most, almost as much as the Manu fan boys. Wait are you one of them?

signing either of them. The Spurs have no need whatsoever at SF with Leonard here and on a cheap contract. They desperately need a legit backup PG.

As much as I dream seeing Iggy or Tyreke Evans in a Spurs uniform, you are correct. The Spurs number one priority should be to get a backup PG to Tony Parker.

[Tim_duncan21]

Hopefully we land a decent back up point guard.

[$pursDynasty]

For me the Spurs should pursue in this order, DH, off the court crap aside, on the court he would perfectly compliment what we have and help transition into the next era, the next great big man in SA. Next would be David West, mauler, leader scorer complimenting TD's play. He is the type of player that gives teams like the Thunder and the Heat fits, heck he used to give the Spurs fits. Third up is Splitter, if you strike out on the first two you have to bring back Splitter. The Spurs first priority is a quality big to pair with TD, ideally one to take over after Timmy is gone but if not that then one that can help maximize TD's last few years. The 2nd thing on the list is a guy that can create his own shot and be the backup ball handler when TP isn't on the floor, since Manu's time as that guy seems to be at an end. That is why I and others are intrigued by Jarret Jack. The Spurs offense seems to stall when TP is off the court or being neutralized. Not talking about likelihood of signing, just who I think they should pursue in order.....Dwight Howard, David West, Tiago Splitter then Jarrett Jack.

[exstatic]

Apparently Iggy is opting out a $16 million payday next year. I can't imagine he gets that much annually. Either he is overvaluing himself or wants to win? I guess another possibility is he thinks he is best positioned for a longer term deal at less than $16 million per, I don't get the math of that one tbh.

Ding, ding, ding. It's his last big contract.

[exstatic]

If JR Smith would just grow the F8ck up, he'd be great. He's athletic, can shoot the 3 and drive to the basket. That's the player we could use at the shooting guard position. I just don't know about his head and if he's matured at all. San Antonio's lack of nightlife could get rid of distractions.

That ship has sailed. He is what he is.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

I still like OJ Mayo at SG. The guy can create and take the ball to hole off the dribble. I think he would thrive in the Spurs system.

Spurs need a SG that can create other than Manu.

As for backup PG. I think Nando will do just fine next year. He just needs to improve his shooting and his defense rotations for next year. He is an unbelievable passer.

Teams towards the end of the season realize that Nando was more than likely going to pass rather than shoot, so they went under picks and left him open. He needs to work with Chip this offseason and get that jumper off the PnR down to an art like Tony.

Spurs have alot of options this year to improve via FA and they will.

[heyheymymy]

no way on OJ!

dude has a prob with the powder or something, terrible waste of talent, tbh

[024]

OJ Mayo is actually a very good fit for the Spurs:

1. He's not an all star yet so he's not out of the Spurs' usual price range. He also has weaknesses (such as getting trigger happy with contested long 2 pointers and turnovers) that bring his value down so It's unlikely he'll cost more than $7-8 million a year. He might be even cheaper since everyone else is chasing bigger names. If the Spurs can get him for $6-7 million, that would pretty good.

2. Even with all his weaknesses, he's only 25 and shoots 40% from the 3 pt line. Mayo also has a nice work ethic and doesn't have much of an ego compared to JR Smith, another shooting guard with a similar position and role. At 25, he still has room to grow, especially in an excellent coaching environment like the Spurs that turned George Hill, Gary Neal, and Danny Green into legitimate NBA guards.

3. Worst case scenario, he's a much better version of Gary Neal that can still play with any squad on the floor because of his 3 point shooting. Best case scenario, he succeeds Ginobili as the 3rd/4th option with Leonard and can run the offense when Parker is on the bench.

4. His fearless scoring mentality is just what the Spurs need to plug the bench after Ginobili's free fall in the finals. Yes, Gary Neal has that mentality too but Mayo is way more talented.

[Seventyniner]

With regards to the Al Jefferson v Tiago thoughts - that is an interesting one. On paper, Spurs were a stout defense and were built to have a solid inside game. Tiago, while efficient, has shown his limitations repeadetly. The only real teams where post defense are critical are MEM/INDY/LAL essentially. In the West, LAL might not be as critical if they lose Dwight. Even with him, what are the odds of having to play both to get to the finals? The team to beat is obviously MIA and in that situation, Tiago was basically rendered useless. In that situation, would having someone as offensively talented in the low block to punish MIA for going small like Tiago could not make the difference?

Replacing Tiago with Al Jeff doesn't cause defensive problems in the post, it causes massive defensive problems against the pick and roll. Tiago is a good PnR defender and Jefferson is atrocious.

[Knoxxx]

OK so let's grab Mayo, retain Splitter, and get Jefferson too. How can that be done? Please say waive Bonner!

[DPG21920]

I would much rather have David West than Al Jeff. Doubt he leaves Indy though, but West would be my preference.

[dunkman]

If the Spurs were to throw some big contract for a FA, it would be for Howard only. They wouldn't see return of their investment otherwise. Duncan and Parker are the best in the NBA on their positions, and Green and Kawhi have really good production for their contracts. Now, between paying Splitter some big contract and a bit more for Howard, who could play more minutes, rebounds and blocks shots better, its kind of no brainer.

[TheGreatYacht]

For me the Spurs should pursue in this order, DH, off the court crap aside, on the court he would perfectly compliment what we have and help transition into the next era, the next great big man in SA. Next would be David West, mauler, leader scorer complimenting TD's play. He is the type of player that gives teams like the Thunder and the Heat fits, heck he used to give the Spurs fits. Third up is Splitter, if you strike out on the first two you have to bring back Splitter. The Spurs first priority is a quality big to pair with TD, ideally one to take over after Timmy is gone but if not that then one that can help maximize TD's last few years. The 2nd thing on the list is a guy that can create his own shot and be the backup ball handler when TP isn't on the floor, since Manu's time as that guy seems to be at an end. That is why I and others are intrigued by Jarret Jack. The Spurs offense seems to stall when TP is off the court or being neutralized. Not talking about likelihood of signing, just who I think they should pursue in order.....Dwight Howard, David West, Tiago Splitter then Jarrett Jack.

I like this plan. The only thing I would add is that if the Spurs fail to get David West, then they should try to go after Al Jefferson. If Al Jefferson doesn't want to come here, then definately resign Tiago Splitter.

I still like OJ Mayo at SG. The guy can create and take the ball to hole off the dribble. I think he would thrive in the Spurs system.
Spurs need a SG that can create other than Manu.
As for backup PG. I think Nando will do just fine next year. He just needs to improve his shooting and his defense rotations for next year. He is an unbelievable passer.
Teams towards the end of the season realize that Nando was more than likely going to pass rather than shoot, so they went under picks and left him open. He needs to work with Chip this offseason and get that jumper off the PnR down to an art like Tony.
Spurs have alot of options this year to improve via FA and they will.

Wrong and wrong. OJ Mayo is very inconsistent. Nando is emo like Dejuan Blair. All Nando does is complain and bitc* to the French media about his playing time. None of those two have Spurs DNA. As a matter of fact, I think the Spurs should trade or wave Nando.

OJ Mayo is actually a very good fit for the Spurs:
1. He's not an all star yet so he's not out of the Spurs' usual price range. He also has weaknesses (such as getting trigger happy with contested long 2 pointers and turnovers) that bring his value down so It's unlikely he'll cost more than $7-8 million a year. He might be even cheaper since everyone else is chasing bigger names. If the Spurs can get him for $6-7 million, that would pretty good.
2. Even with all his weaknesses, he's only 25 and shoots 40% from the 3 pt line. Mayo also has a nice work ethic and doesn't have much of an ego compared to JR Smith, another shooting guard with a similar position and role. At 25, he still has room to grow, especially in an excellent coaching environment like the Spurs that turned George Hill, Gary Neal, and Danny Green into legitimate NBA guards.
3. Worst case scenario, he's a much better version of Gary Neal that can still play with any squad on the floor because of his 3 point shooting. Best case scenario, he succeeds Ginobili as the 3rd/4th option with Leonard and can run the offense when Parker is on the bench.
4. His fearless scoring mentality is just what the Spurs need to plug the bench after Ginobili's free fall in the finals. Yes, Gary Neal has that mentality too but Mayo is way more talented.

Again with the OJ May stuff... No, no, and no. The guy is a bum. The guy deserves to be paid at the minimum for all I care. We all saw how OJ Mayo went downhill once Dirk Nowitzki returned. Just imagine how much worse he will be coming off the bench. Get real dude.

[I. Hustle]

What about Kwame Brown? Do it R.C.!

[DPG21920]

What's crazy is that for any trade, how good of a throw in could Baynes be? With that ultra cheap contract and his decent ability, I can see many teams asking for him to match salaries.

[Fabbs]

Of course they are " possible"...but likely, or even realistic? No.

Yep. Just agents working the system, feiging interest in Spurs to float rumors and hope up the dollar for their clients going elsewhere.
Had the Spurs overcome Pop and got legit Championship #5, i do think a few top FAs may have considered the Spurs.
Would have been hilarious to see Dwight Howard spurn Ko and LakerRigged, Iinc. and join the frontline with Timmy Duncs.
Now, with no chance at a ring and San Antones burrito small market, no way do the Spurs land a top FA.

[mudyez]

Yep. Just agents working the system, feiging interest in Spurs to float rumors and hope up the dollar for their clients going elsewhere.
Had the Spurs overcome Pop and got legit Championship #5, i do think a few top FAs may have considered the Spurs.
Would have been hilarious to see Dwight Howard spurn Ko and LakerRigged, Iinc. and join the frontline with Timmy Duncs.
Now, with no chance at a ring and San Antones burrito small market, no way do the Spurs land a top FA.

Not sure if #5 would have changed much.

Would you rather jump onto a team that just won out (putting yourself in a can-only-lose-situation) or onto a team that basically made it, but didn't actually make it (your offivially the guy that gets them over the hump if they win now)?

But a major name wont come here anyway and I'm not sure thats bad (remember that Richard Jefferson dude?).

[TheGreatYacht]

Not sure if #5 would have changed much.

Would you rather jump onto a team that just won out (putting yourself in a can-only-lose-situation) or onto a team that basically made it, but didn't actually make it (your offivially the guy that gets them over the hump if they win now)?

But a major name wont come here anyway and I'm not sure thats bad (remember that Richard Jefferson dude?).

I hate everyone that keeps using the "remember Richard Jefferson dude" as an excuse not to sign a free agent. RJ was a big fuc* up by the FO and I think they learned their lesson.

[ViceCity84]

Jefferson Part Deux

[mudyez]

I hate everyone that keeps using the "remember Richard Jefferson dude" as an excuse not to sign a free agent. RJ was a big fuc* up by the FO and I think they learned their lesson.

True, but it also shows that FA's are not always the best option. I'd rather don't sign any FA's (of other teams) than pay one I don't like 100% (Mayo, Big-Al, Millsap don't do it for me).

Or put it this way: If we can sign Splitter for less than Big-Al while avoiding to trade away an improved CoJo+firstrounder just to get rid of BigAl' contract(after he pissed bed), it may be a good no move.

For my part: Get Josh Smith(gamble but would look nice next to KL), D12 (which I hate, but who gives us some upside) or KG (only if Timmy is agreeing which is a huge "IF"...and we would have to trade for him!) or focus on resigning Splitter while doing some minor tweeking.