The San Antonio Spurs will likely move forward DeJuan Blair close to the deadline, ultimately accepting the best final offer for him, sources said. Blair has wanted a trade for more than a year, and clearly will not re-sign with the Spurs as a free agent this summer.
The Spurs had tried to canvass the market for a first-round pick, but have relented on that demand. The Spurs could get a second-round pick, or perhaps a player on an expiring deal in return.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--nb...GlvbnM-;_ylv=3
It's not surprising news but Yahoo is more plugged in than any media outlet so this is a notable update.
I'm not sure I love the idea of trading Blair for a late second round pick. I'd rather the Spurs just keep Blair.
For a decent prospect or an early second round pick? Yeah, might as well cash in. IMO, the Spurs need to target a second round pick that is at least in the 40-45 range ... and that's assuming Aron Baynes is progressing to the point that he can be decent depth by playoff time.
Blair doesn't hold much value anymore due to knees and lack of development but he has some value.
To a team with a trade exception, I'd move Blair for a top-55 protected 2019 second round pick. I'd rather have the roster space and the room under the luxury tax. That way they can sign a player bought out by his team or a free agent like Donte Greene.
Would it be unreasonable to trade up a few places in the draft for Blair? i.e. Blair + Spurs first (#30) for a pick expected to be in #22-#26 range?
I haven't studied the likely buyout market but I think Blair holds more value than the cost of his contract. I'd just hold onto him if that's the best the Spurs can get. Hypothetically, if the Spurs suffer an injury in the playoffs, Blair would at least know what he's supposed to do and his teammates know how to play with him.
If a player becomes available who would bring more value than Blair, the Spurs could waive Blair and there's a decent to good chance that he'll get claimed off of waivers ... and that would serve the same purpose as salary dumping him at the trade deadline.
Not surprising what Woj is reporting - pretty well known that was the likely course of action, but I have to agree with Timvp. With Blair showing some lift lately he is worth more to the Spurs now than his contract shows and worth more than a late 2nd rounder. I hope he is not traded for that.
I don't see the Spurs betting their position with respect to the luxury tax line on that proposition. If they're going to have the flexibility to add a player after the deadline, I believe they'll have to offload Blair before the deadline.
We've gone over this a few times in the past few weeks, but moving Blair for a trade exception would allow for the Spurs to take back more salary in a draft-night trade. It could be the difference between getting a player for $4.6 Million for Bonner's deal or getting a player for $5.2 Million. There are a number of interesting players whose salaries lie in that gap.
It could be a situation of addition by subtraction... maybe no blair will mean baynes gets an opportunity. highly unlikely i know, but perhaps he could work himself into a situation where he has playoff impact.
A lot of times he makes you wonder if that's true at all... In theory it should be, in practice it seems to me the misses are much more common than the hits.
Isn't Johnny Ludden still the Head Sports Editor for NBA there at Yahoo? Perhaps that's why they are so connected to the team.
Blair definitely is worth his contract, and if it's a #50 pick, it should be a no. The insurance depth is worth more than that.
If he is traded, I hope it's to a team where he can play. I don't think he's as good as our other options, but he is better than a lot of bigs in this league, and he deserves to be playing.
i don't know if it bothers the guys, but dejuan is definitely the least content with his role guy on the team. everyone else, i think, is filling a role they're happy with, or at least not unhappy with. but dejuan lost the start role, and his friend george was traded away, and i just wonder if it could possibly be helpful to let him move on. Obviously it's not killing the team chemistry, but it probably won't hurt to let him go. Anything we get for him is fine. His value is almost definitely higher than his contract, but maybe not for us. He sometimes gives us a few minutes of good play on offense. he just can't find a place on the floor for us. He can find a role for some lesser team (or a team with no bigs), and I wish him the best.
We all know Blair is gone after this year but just in case for some horrible reason another big is needed at some point during the playoff run it would still be nice to have him on the bench. For that reason I wouldn't give him up for just a late 2nd rounder.
i know i'm the only person on this forum that feels this way, but i'd be okay with bonner playing those minutes
I like Blair, but he doesn't help the Spurs much as a player, he plays well but he doesn't really add anything that we cant get from other players. To me it's a lateral move at worst. It wont hurt the Spurs if we let him go. I wish him luck if he gets the boot and look forward to seeing him do well on another team like George Hill is doing. Dejaun is a niche player, He is good for certain situations, hopefully he finds a team that requires his skills.
Last edited by phyzik; 02-20-2013 at 12:35 AM.
Dejuan's going to find out that it isn't so easy to score in the NBA without Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker passing you the ball.
Any game that Blair got a C for his defense is a game he played above his capability. That means on an average night, he has to get B+ on offense to not hurt the team.
Will be sad to see him go. He's a winner, and a good guy.
Baynes has more upside, he's a 7 footer. Hope the Spurs get a first rounder and sign K-Mart, if still available, for the rest of the season.
that's a good idea
If we aren't even getting a top half second rounder its not worth trading him. At that point he's just ridiculously cheap depth who can occasionally provide a spark
Even with the hate surrounding Blair, it'll be hard to see a Spur product leave the organization. On the other hand, the departure of Jefferson seemed to happen flawlessly.
As predicted, other teams likelywhen asked for a 1st round pick... right now Blair is good enough to backup Chuck Hayes in the Seattle Kings... IMO, it's also clear Pop is rolling with Bonner/small-ball for the playoffs.
Blair is a good kid, but he never developed his game into anything, weight problems, and now knee problems have to be a major red flag, so if we can rob some team of a 2nd round pick for DeJuan, you do it
Just because Bonner plays vs the Kings doesn't mean Pop is playing him in the playoffs
This. It would be more valuable to keep him through the playoffs than to just give him away for free.
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