Spurs Shopping Aldridge and DeRozan

[GAustex]

Lol hitching your wagon to DDR. We’ve seen how that ends.
Sure he has been playing good and I am happy for that cause I root for the jersey.
Spurs ain’t getting better with him. And they may get worse w/o him.
It’s time to move on
He ain’t worth what he makes

[Sugus]

I think people are confusing things. Yes, DD is playing well for us, but he isn’t a changed player. He still the guy people wanted off the team THIS recent summer. What’s different? Dejounte has made a leap, Keldon is solid, Yak is doing great and the TEAM is doing better. DD is a part of that, obviously. And I have changed my mind about him. But I won’t panic if he leaves. He’s still a complicated and at times frustrating player.

I share your view. On the one hand, DeRozan has inarguably upped his game this season, he's playing by far the best and most consistent ball of his career, being an excellent floor general, and just a main cog for this Spurs team. Having been on the Trade DeRozan At All Costs bandwagon, I can safely say now that the Spurs will get worse if they lose him, and that given the internal growth and chemistry the team exhibits now, trading him away for anything other than a king's ransom is not something I'd look forward right now.

It's not the end of the world if he leaves in FA, and the Spurs have seen a lot of their young players take a step forward to the point that his production could be replaced, maybe not entirely, but close enough, in a year or two. But also, vet leadership on the hand of a player who's as consistent as DeMar, who is a real distributor and doesn't ball-hog, instead letting the young players grow, isn't easy to come by - and especially hard for a small-market team like the Spurs. I'd go as far as to say that, between getting Collins in FA and losing DD, and retaining DD but not getting Collins at a Max price tag.... I'd rather keep DeMar at this point. Maybe some recency bias after Collins' awful play in that Hawks game but it's still true.

So overall, I'm pretty neutral on the issue. Which, ironically, speaks volumes about how much better DeRozan has gotten on the Spurs, since I leant pretty heavily to one side before this season/the Bubble.

[cjw]

I don't think Luka is ready to start at the 4, so I'd imagine most of their focus is finding another 4 in FA i.e. Collins or Markkanen. If they strike out then they could shift Johnson up to the four and play Vassell along with Poeltl, White, and Murray.

Technically, that lineup is about the same size as the normal SL this season but White replacing Walker and KJ replacing DDR.

They might re-sign Mills, bring back Lyles for depth, otherwise they might not use much cap unless they agree to take back bad salary in exchange for picks.

This is where I am. It’s a really good place to be - a young core that’s a borderline top 20 team without being supplemented at all (that’s a good thing), and the flexibility to use that space in a bunch of different ways that either improve the ceiling or invest even more in the future. And no future draft picks going out the door.

Issue is others will have ample cap space too this offseason and there aren’t a lot of difference-makers to go around. I don’t want to bring in anyone that’s just going to be a logjam for the young core.

Assuming they’re done with Aldridge after this year, which is probably the case unless he comes back for 2 years and $25mm-ish, 4/5 will be the biggest hole by far. Ideally you’d get someone who can play 5 in a pinch. I also don’t think Luka is ready to start at the 4, but needs minutes next year.

[Sugus]

Lol hitching your wagon to DDR. We’ve seen how that ends.
Sure he has been playing good and I am happy for that cause I root for the jersey.
Spurs ain’t getting better with him. And they may get worse w/o him.
It’s time to move on
He ain’t worth what he makes

Well, your prerogative is wrong, since the Spurs are getting visibly better with DeRozan at the helm. Much as you might dislike his game, most Spurs fans (me included, tbh) came into the season with that mindset, bracing for a losing, tanking even, season, yet we're 5th in the West right now and would be fighting for a good playoff seed if COVID didn't the team over. The young players stepping up is a big part of it, but they wouldn't get nearly the same shot opportunities without DeMar distributing the ball like he does; and while I personally don't think he can ever be "the guy" on a true championship contender, it doesn't mean that he can't foster a good and growing group of young players for a couple years, and be a mentor for them, until they're ready to take the next step. Personally, except for Murray and maybe White, I don't see other young players on the Spurs ready to be "thrown into the fire".

Now, contract length/amount is a different discussion entirely, and I agree I wouldn't want him back if it meant a deal like Hayward got. But he's certainly worth his game for a price, and it's a higher price than most posters in SpursTalk (all stuck in pre-2016 contracts and cap numbers, apparently) think of.

[KobesAchilles]

I mean we are a game and a half from the 8th seed and Dallas and Memphis are playing well again. I like our chances though and if LMA does come off the bench that solves a lot of problems. It means that Lonnie can just focus on jacking up shots, and both Murray and KJ get to eat as well. Also White and LMA have really good chemistry together so that will play a big role too. Gay, Vasell, White, Mills, and LMA is a very fearsome bench unit

[GAustex]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. He may not even want to hang in Central Texas. I would prefer to see the young ones go for it as they defer to DDR for the short term gain but maybe the long term detriment/lack of development.

And we will see if my “prerogative” is right or not as the story is still playing out. I do admit DDR has been a pleasant surprise this year with his play.

[BillMc]

LMA goes from potentially washed up starter to one of the best backup bigs in the leage, one who can explode on offense when his knees are feeling good. If he'll accept the role, keep him. We're not going to get much for him, anyway

[The Truth #6]

I share your view. On the one hand, DeRozan has inarguably upped his game this season, he's playing by far the best and most consistent ball of his career, being an excellent floor general, and just a main cog for this Spurs team. Having been on the Trade DeRozan At All Costs bandwagon, I can safely say now that the Spurs will get worse if they lose him, and that given the internal growth and chemistry the team exhibits now, trading him away for anything other than a king's ransom is not something I'd look forward right now.

It's not the end of the world if he leaves in FA, and the Spurs have seen a lot of their young players take a step forward to the point that his production could be replaced, maybe not entirely, but close enough, in a year or two. But also, vet leadership on the hand of a player who's as consistent as DeMar, who is a real distributor and doesn't ball-hog, instead letting the young players grow, isn't easy to come by - and especially hard for a small-market team like the Spurs. I'd go as far as to say that, between getting Collins in FA and losing DD, and retaining DD but not getting Collins at a Max price tag.... I'd rather keep DeMar at this point. Maybe some recency bias after Collins' awful play in that Hawks game but it's still true.

So overall, I'm pretty neutral on the issue. Which, ironically, speaks volumes about how much better DeRozan has gotten on the Spurs, since I leant pretty heavily to one side before this season/the Bubble.

Totally. 100%.

[The Truth #6]

LMA goes from potentially washed up starter to one of the best backup bigs in the leage, one who can explode on offense when his knees are feeling good. If he'll accept the role, keep him. We're not going to get much for him, anyway

I’m hesitant to disagree with you about anything ever because I appreciate the photographs you post, but has LMA shown he is great off the bench? I’m being literal. He played well recently in that one game but is there a larger trend of that?

[Leetonidas]

I’m hesitant to disagree with you about anything ever because I appreciate the photographs you post, but has LMA shown he is great off the bench? I’m being literal. He played well recently in that one game but is there a larger trend of that?

LMA hadn't come off the bench since his rookie season, so no. I have a hard time believing he will accept that role going forward though

[BillMc]

I’m hesitant to disagree with you about anything ever because I appreciate the photographs you post, but has LMA shown he is great off the bench? I’m being literal. He played well recently in that one game but is there a larger trend of that?

I can't argue that it's a larger trend, only that I'm hopeful it is. He's getting on by NBA standards and maybe he's accepting it.

Glad you like the sig.

[Dejounte]

The primary reason I ever wanted DeMar to leave was to make way for Keldon to develop. Now that Keldon is getting all the minutes in the world, I don't mind DeMar as much. Sure, Keldon is probably playing out of position but maybe the Spurs address that by getting a starting PF this offseason and Keldon comes off the bench for DeMar. That may be shocking to hear coming from a HUGE Keldon fan, but after seeing Poeltl deservingly supplant LMA as the starting C, I think I'm open to letting Keldon earn DeMar's spot by becoming CLEARLY better than him(shooting, passing, dribbling, everything). This is all on the condition that Keldon plays the same amount of minutes he's getting now coming off the bench.

Now if Keldon still plays the 4 next season, I wouldn't mind that either. Playing time is playing time and I don't think playing the 4 stunts his growth at all.

[TD 21]

Maybe a package including Iggy, Olynyk, Achiuwa and a 1st* for DDR and Eubanks.

(* could be 1-5 and 16-30 protected in 2023, 2024, and 2025 otherwise it becomes 2 future seconds)

Why would the Heat do that when they're a prime free agent destination, with the cap space to conceivably sign DeRozan outright in the off season? Oladipo, said to be interested in signing with them, is a better fit with Butler and Adebayo because of his three-point shooting.

[Dejounte]

The primary reason I ever wanted DeMar to leave was to make way for Keldon to develop. Now that Keldon is getting all the minutes in the world, I don't mind DeMar as much. Sure, Keldon is probably playing out of position but maybe the Spurs address that by getting a starting PF this offseason and Keldon comes off the bench for DeMar. That may be shocking to hear coming from a HUGE Keldon fan, but after seeing Poeltl deservingly supplant LMA as the starting C, I think I'm open to letting Keldon earn DeMar's spot by becoming CLEARLY better than him(shooting, passing, dribbling, everything). This is all on the condition that Keldon plays the same amount of minutes he's getting now coming off the bench.

Now if Keldon still plays the 4 next season, I wouldn't mind that either. Playing time is playing time and I don't think playing the 4 stunts his growth at all.

Forgot to add:

The other reason was what people have already mentioned here-- his style of play. In years past, the offense would be ALL ABOUT DeMar and I hated it for player development. This year, it's been much less of that and it may be due to the fact that he has seen his teammates' growth and he (or Pop) has willingly given the green light for other guys to share the playmaking/shot-creating duties. I heavily disagree that he's been like this the whole season... Kobe-mode DeMar shows up every now and then and anyone with a pair of eyes has seen that, no matter what statistics you throw out on here. BUT, selfless-DeMar has shown up way more than selfish-DeMar this season. That's just a fact.

[Leetonidas]

I have a good memory...when murray got stripped twice from pat Bev, ppl completely gave up on him and wanted forbes to be our starting of...saying stuff like he is similar to curry

You talking about a random comment in a game thread from the beginning of last year? come on son, you and I both know thats BS. No one on this forum ever said Forbes was better than White/Murray. If you can find one i'll gladly eat crow but i can almost guarantee that phrase has only been typed in this thread

[Leetonidas]

also i dont know whats more ridiculous - people on ST saying Forbes is better than White/Murray or claiming people on here were comparing him to Steph Curry .... i have seen plenty of posters comment on the fact that Forbes THINKS he is Steph Curry, which is not even close to the same thing

[KingKev]

The primary reason I ever wanted DeMar to leave was to make way for Keldon to develop. Now that Keldon is getting all the minutes in the world, I don't mind DeMar as much. Sure, Keldon is probably playing out of position but maybe the Spurs address that by getting a starting PF this offseason and Keldon comes off the bench for DeMar. That may be shocking to hear coming from a HUGE Keldon fan, but after seeing Poeltl deservingly supplant LMA as the starting C, I think I'm open to letting Keldon earn DeMar's spot by becoming CLEARLY better than him(shooting, passing, dribbling, everything). This is all on the condition that Keldon plays the same amount of minutes he's getting now coming off the bench.

Now if Keldon still plays the 4 next season, I wouldn't mind that either. Playing time is playing time and I don't think playing the 4 stunts his growth at all.

I’d like to see DDR back at the 2 with Keldon at the 3 if we were able to get a legit PF

[Dejounte]

also i dont know whats more ridiculous - people on ST saying Forbes is better than White/Murray or claiming people on here were comparing him to Steph Curry .... i have seen plenty of posters comment on the fact that Forbes THINKS he is Steph Curry, which is not even close to the same thing

It was Pop who went on record to compare Forbes to Curry, then people here used that quote by Pop as a running joke to make fun of Pop... somehow, duncan2k5 twisted THAT into thinking people here actually thought Forbes was comparable to Stephen Curry...

The direct quote:

P.S. I'm pretty sure Pop was being facetious when he made that remark.

[Mal]

What's the offers ? Spurs are playoff team right now...

[Leetonidas]

It was Pop who went on record to compare Forbes to Curry, then people here used that quote by Pop as a running joke to make fun of Pop... somehow, duncan2k5 twisted THAT into thinking people here actually thought Forbes was comparable to Stephen Curry...

The direct quote:

P.S. I'm pretty sure Pop was being facetious when he made that remark.

definitely sounds like he's been sarcastic which makes ducan2k5 confusing this for STers loving Forbes even funnier

[BackHome]

I am not getting to vested in Derozz or LMA because even if we want them they still might bolt so I will just enjoy this season and will see what happens. I guess the same can be said for Rudy and Mills and Lyles it is going to be an interesting off season for the Spurs on figuring out who they want to offer new contracts to.

Either way in draft I am still down taking the best player available when ever we pick

[cd021]

Why would the Heat do that when they're a prime free agent destination, with the cap space to conceivably sign DeRozan outright in the off season? Oladipo, said to be interested in signing with them, is a better fit with Butler and Adebayo because of his three-point shooting.

They could just sign him outright, though they're looking at missing the playoffs, a play-in scenario, or a very low seed this season after making the Finals last season. The pressure is on for them to try and improve. Not only that, but having him on the team ahead of FA gives them a leg-up on re-signing him.

As for why DeMar, they've been linked to him for a while now. His fit is a bit sketchy with Butler, considering neither really take 3's and neither does Bam but if their interest is real then they must have an idea for how to incorporate him.

If there is a deal to be made between the Spurs and the Heat then altering the protections on a first that they already owe is a way to entice the Spurs into dealing DDR, as well as keeping them from giving up another young player like Robinson in a deal. Its still unlikely, but if true, then they might have enough assets, after all, to be make a deal.

[MultiTroll]

Make it end already.
This is making my head hurt.

Trade LMA. Get on with the future.

[cd021]

They’re not going to give us that lottery pick to rent DeRozan for a few months.

Exactly,
The market for either is not there. I don't see a single contender, or team who thought they were a contender entering the season who would give up assets for a few months rental.

Calling it a rental seems a bit misleading. Miami could gauge whether DeRozan is amenable to re-signing long-term. I'm sure he would be considering--it's Miami, both the city and the team and the Heat have rep for paying their players. If he doesn't seem interested, then no dice, of course.

[duncan2k5]

Lol hitching your wagon to DDR. We’ve seen how that ends.
Sure he has been playing good and I am happy for that cause I root for the jersey.
Spurs ain’t getting better with him. And they may get worse w/o him.
It’s time to move on
He ain’t worth what he makes

Seriously...it's crazy how his good games vs bad teams in the regular season make ppl want to keep him...he won't make us win...not will we be able to build upon an iden y because he needs the ball in his hands to be effective...he strung toronto fans along for a decade by having great regular season games vs bad and mediocre teams, but laid an egg in playoffs and big games...now he is older in a tougher conference...can't shoot threes, can't play off ball, can't defend, and we wanna build around him? Lol