Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Spurs

While Mills has long been a key role player for Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, with him being on the final year of his contract, this may be the end of his tenure with the organization. The Spurs have a lot of young talent in their back-court and with them wanting to focus more on the development of these young players, Mills likely would not be re-signed next offseason by San Antonio.

That could mean Mills is a guy they look to trade around mid-season, especially if he continues to shoot with a hot hand, and bringing in a guy like Patrick Beverley from the Clippers in return could be very beneficial. While he can be a hot head at times, Beverley truly cares about his team and teammates and plays with heart.

His tough-minded, physical play on the defensive end of the court could be very valuable for the Spurs, as they have always looked for physical defenders to add for roster depth over the years. Given that he is under contract through the 2021-22 season, this could be beneficial to the Spurs as well because of the fact that they have a lot of youthful talent. 

Guys like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, and rookie Devin Vassell are all the future, but could use an experienced, veteran guard like Beverley for at least one more year before taking full ownership of the back-court in San Antonio.

The Spurs have a long history of winning, but they missed the playoffs for the first time in 22 years last season and they have never missed back-to-back playoffs ever in their franchise history.

If they are to make the playoffs and keep this astonishing feat alive, then trading for Beverley makes a lot of sense as he could definitely help them make the playoffs with DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge still running the team. Adding a defensive guard like Beverley makes a lot of sense for the Spurs, especially since they allowed the 25th most points out of any team last season.