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Like I said, I don't even see it as a risk. I never called them the missing pieces, but they upgrade the talent, athleticism, defense and offer more clarify as far as the rotation/role definition, so I think they'd improve this teams chances. This team looks so far from being a contender that probably no realistic trade they can do would make them a contender again, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't keep trying. They have some flexibility now and they need to utilize it. The primary goal (within' reason) is to win Duncan one for the thumb and to, in the process, not sacrifice the future. This trade improves the chances of the former and improves the potential of the latter.
Salmons' salary for next season is Mason's/Finley's combined. The Spurs will have to replace them both anyway, as I suspect Finley will retire and Mason will be tough to re-sign because he, like Splitter, has to be paid using the MLE. Even with salaries shrinking, I doubt the Spurs could squeeze those two into the MLE and they're not picking Mason over Splitter, for obvious reasons.
Don't you get it? Thomas basically is a draft pick and on top of that, he's almost certainly better than what the Spurs could get picking in the range they'll likely pick in. People stereotype players like Thomas and get caught up in their potential, but no one ever talks about the players they are. Thomas, while he's mistake prone, immature and a malcontent, is already a solid, productive player.
