Only 1 more win? that!
Spurs Get:
KD
Suns Get:
Jrue Holiday
Sam Houser
JD Davidson
FRP#14
Celtics Get:
Devin Vassell
Brooklyn Gets:
Keldon Johnson
SRP#38
Spurs do it because KD. Suns do it because Holiday + Hauser can keep them somewhat compe ive while they don't own their future - plus - they get a lotto pick. Celtics do it because they're shedding about 17MM off their horrendous bill while getting a serviceable player. Brooklyn does it because they get a serviceable player plus somewhat decent SRP for free.
I'm not saying the Spurs would or should do this, I'm saying now that they don't have 8/9 to peddle, this is my best guess of what the Suns would realistically want.
These homer trades where the Spurs give up spare parts aren't realistic. Even for a going on 37 injury prone player (expiring is irrelevant; an extension will be part of whoever acquires him), it's still going to take a relatively significant asset/package to acquire him.
The 4 players the Spurs should look to trade are Keldon, Barnes, Branham and Wesley. They are by far our 3 worst defenders and Wesley is our worst offensive player. Barnes is expiring and we can take on about 11 million in salary difference to help teams shave off some money. Add 1 first rounder and that's the maximum of what I'm putting on the block. We gonna need a lot of shooting and defense after such a move.
I think Devin can still replenish some value with a healthy offseason and the role that's best suited for him, which is offball shooter.
Expiring is incredibly relevant as he can refuse an extension, driving his value way down. It's what Jimmy did and GSW got him for 60 cents on the dollar.
I'd do KD for the 14th pick and salary match, if KD arrives with no more than 2 years til current deal ends. Say, extend him one year so that Spurs on on hook for $110M total - and then they can negotiate properly with a 39-year old player on the back end. It's not a great deal for Phonix, but it might be the best they can do.
The Spurs are dealing from a position of strength this off-season, and based upon recent history, they know how to use it. I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this summer. Am I a sniffer? ... give it to me straight.
the thing with KD is that his contract lines up perfectly with our cap. Fox will only cost 37 million next season, Wemby is still on a rookie deal so you can afford to have KD on a max. Then when Fox extension kicks in, KD is a free agent and you can work on a frontloaded extension for less. That way you have 2 years of KD while Wemby is still on a rookie contract and once his max extension is due you should have KD for cheap.
I'm saying, it'll be part of the negotiations. The team acquiring him won't be entering it it blind.
The point is that it'll depress his market and thus his value. Of course it'll be a part of the overall trade framework
Fair enough, but it's still going to take a centerpiece to acquire him or any star.
Again, not saying they would or should do this, but keep in mind, the mpg/usage is already looking dicey for Harper, so adding another star would exacerbate that. This isn't 2k; him and his representation aren't going to sit by idly for 3-4 years waiting to play a prominent role.
That was my original thought too but difference in year to year salary on a contract can only be like 8% rendering the frontloading idea moot. So KD would have to take a discount on both years of the extension to not be a problem for the first year of Victor's likely 30% supermax deal.
I think he would, I mean he’d be 38 and 39. If he wants to ring chase at that age he has to take a discount.
If we do this we might as well just throw the whole MLE at Mitch‘s day one Brook Lopez and sign him as Wemby‘s back up.
This is not god awful but I’d prefer we keep Barnes because Durant isn’t going to give us but 40 games.
Sorry, he forgot to include Wemby to the Nets. Should make sense now.
KD for Keldon/Vassell and no more. I wont be sad for KD to be a one year rental either. Frees up that capspace the year after.
Trae Young, you know what to do. ...Trae is in the same exact situation as Fox was in Sacramento last year, right, two years remaining but extension eligible this season?
I'm sorry, but all these deals for Durrant are just plain crazy. He couldn't take the Nets anywhere, and he didn't do squat in Phoenix. He's getting paid 50 plus million for what exactly ? He has one year left on his contract, and if whatever team that gets him doesn't make it deep into the playoffs or win a chip, he'll probably just leave again for the next sucker team. What do they then do then with considerably less talent and certainly fewer draft picks ?
We all know he's still talented even at 37, but to spend that much capital for basically a one year rental doesn't make any sense.
You might do it if you're desperate like Phoenix and the Nets were, I just don't think the spurs are there. They chose to take it slowly, draft well, and learn what it means to be a champion again.
Buying a quickie championship rarely ever works out. For example Giannis - out in the first round again. Lebron - out in the first round again. Durrant didn't even make the playoff's. There should be a rule that if you're a supermax player and you don't make it past the 1st round, you should give like 10% of your salary back to the team or lose your supermax status (just my opinion). How supermax are you if you can't get your team out of the first round ?
I can already hear it - but he can't do it all alone, he needs help. That's right they need help, but when you trade several players to match salaries, and trade away lots of draft picks, well bud, your help, present and future, just got traded away for just you, deal with it and quit ing that you want to be traded. Unfortunately Durrant will be traded somewhere for a pretty hefty price, I don't doubt it. The spurs should just do the smart thing, say no, walk away and keep improving - the right way.
Last edited by jjspur; 05-27-2025 at 06:43 PM.
The good news is: Brian Wright doesn't overpay on trades. I am not worried about him doing something stupid chasing after a mega deal.
Ariel said this in last year's "Ideal Offseason" thread, and I found it quite relevant and timeless.
When I look at past blockbuster trades, the common trend is they all end up in gross overpays and buyer's remorse (Durant to Phoenix, Harden to Brooklyn, Paul George to the Clippers, etc). Trades that work best are usually opportunistic (like Aaron Gordon to Denver, Derrick White or Porzingis to Boston, etc) and make sense all around. If Trae Young costs what is being proposed here (4+ likely lottery picks + youngsters) then I think the Spurs can do better than that by being a little patient and I don't mean YEARS.
Brian is actually quite good at finding those opportunistic trades. In Brian We Trust.
If Keldon + Vassell + 14 is enough to land KD then you have to do that IMO. I just don’t think that’s going to be enough, and if his value really has lowered that much, I think a team like Houston jumps all over it first and will pay slightly more to win Phoenix over.
I doubt Houston overpays. It'll come down to where KD wants to go. Houston won't trump our offer if KD doesn't want to be in Houston.
Depends on what Durant wants on an extension. I'm not trading #14 for a one year rental and I'm not trading for Durant if the cost is a two year extension at veteran supermax. Now if Durant is willing to sign a two year extension at say $29 million in year 1 and $31 million in year 2 then I probably trade #14 Vassell and Keldon for him.
why would brooklyn do this
This is true. Part of me wonders if SA had only been interested when they had their pre-Fox assets to bear. Trading Vasselldon seems like a no-brainer here, but they may have been aiming to trade Collins, Jones and Barnes instead. It may have been Fox or Durant, even though I think Fox AND Durant is the play.
I would say $85M/2 would be a team-friendly contract. $60M/2 would be insanely team friendly.
He’s executed beautifully overall in trades. Not everything is a home run but a lot of really good smart deals and doing a great job at squeezing out little values and wins here and there smartly too.
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