The San Antonio Spurs have had one of the more surprising performances thus far in the 2020-21 season. Many people believed they would be on the outside looking in of the playoff picture, but thus far, they have remained right in the thick of things in the Western Conference.
San Antonio is sitting comfortably in sixth place currently with a record of 18-13. Gregg Popovich has done a wonderful job adjusting the identity of his team once again, as the Spurs have relied heavily on guard-centric lineups and the results have been positive.
DeMar DeRozan is logging all of his minutes this season at power forward and small forward, allowing Popovich to give more playing time to younger players such as Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker IV, and Derrick White.
With a focus on the younger players, the Spurs are one of the teams to keep a close eye on leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline. They are in the thick of the playoff push, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be willing to trade away some veterans.
According to Shams Charania of the subscription-based The Athletic, the Spurs are listening to trade inquiries for all of their expiring contracts, which they have plenty of. LaMarcus Aldridge, DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Trey Lyles, and Patty Mills are all on expiring contracts.
Of that group, DeRozan would probably land the best return package. He has been playing at an All-Star level this season despite not being selected for the game. The former USC product has transformed his game, accepting a point-forward role and cutting down on his shot attempts, yet still leads the team in scoring.
Aldridge has battled injuries throughout the season, but his ability as a stretch-big should draw plenty of attention on the trade market. The same would go for Gay, who has even played some center this season for San Antonio. Lyles is another stretch-big that can help bolster a contending team’s bench.
Mills, who is in his 10th season with the Spurs, is a proven marksman from deep and would provide some scoring punch to a team’s bench.
While it is not shocking to hear that the Spurs are listening to inquiries on all of these players, they are not going to just give them away for the sake of making a trade.
This is already the youngest roster during the Popovich era, so the need for veterans is there. It will be worth keeping an eye on how the Spurs handle the balancing act of shopping expiring contracts and remaining competitive for a postseason run.
