The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly trying to pull off a huge trade hours before the NBA Draft. According to reports from several NBA insiders, the Spurs are attempting to salvage either power forward Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks or Paul George from the Indiana Pacers with LaMarcus Aldridge as the centerpiece of their trade package.
The Rumor:
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders is reporting that the Spurs are working out a trade package to entice the Pacers into dealing away George. The insider thinks the Spurs have “real shot” at landing the All-Star if the right package is presented.
On Wednesday, there were reports about the Spurs moving Aldridge for a top-10 pick. That isn’t the case anymore 24 hours later with the Spurs trying to build a package around Aldridge for a shot at George.
League sources peg Portland and San Antonio as the newest serious players in the Paul George race. Spurs said to have a real shot at him.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 22, 2017
The Spurs are also one of the teams who reached out the New York Knicks to explore possible deal involving Porzingis, per Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog. Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson made it known to rival GMs that he’s currently entertaining trade offers for Porzingis, whom he selected fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
What’s the plan for the Spurs?
The plan is basically to build the strongest Spurs team possible this summer. Entering year no.2 of the post-Tim Duncan era, San Antonio remains a strong contender in the Western Conference, but the 0-4 Western Conference finals series sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors served as an eye-opener about the large chasm separating the defending NBA champion from the rest of the field.
By acquiring George or Porzingis, the Spurs will make them an even more attractive destination for free agent point guard Chris Paul, who is seriously considering a move to San Antonio this off-season. Unloading Aldridge would also help the Spurs moving forward since the former All-Star forward has been a bad fit with the team the past two seasons.
At 31, Aldridge can still have the second wind of his career, but he has to find elsewhere.
Potential Roadblocks:
Between George or Porzingis, the Latvian big man appears to be an ideal trade target because he’s still on a rookie deal and a direct replacement for Aldridge at the power forward spot. However, Jackson has set a ridiculously high asking price for the 7-foo-4 fleet-footed forward. As for George, Kyler noted that George is open to joining the Spurs but isn’t prepared to make a long-term commitment. The Los Angeles-native is still firm in his decision to opt out and join the Lakers in free-agency next summer.
