Simmons had a podcast yesterday talking about the trade. They all believe the Spurs won this by getting DD. But more importantly, it seems they have at least some inside info to the trade talks surrounding Kawhi.
According to the pod, the celts were not interested in anything more than a sign and trade involving Marcus Smarts, Morris and possibly one of their first round picks. They also echoed what everyone else has reported that Philly and LA were not offering any of their young talent.
Anyway, it just solidifies the fact that no one was really offering anything for Kawhi. The spurs could have tried to ride this out and make him play, but it seems clear that they felt it wasn’t worth possibly fracturing the team more to see if you can get more value in 6 months.
The more I think about it, I’m happy with the trade. I would have loved getting OG in the trade, but DD should help the Spurs stay compe ive and they will still have some cap flexibility in the coming years to build around DD and LMA.If Murray takes a leap and Walker turns into something, this could be a fun team.