Does this trade make sense for the San Antonio Spurs?
The thing about going after Marvin Bagley III for the Spurs, especially if they elect not to re-sign any of their veteran free agents in DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and Rudy Gay, is that it gives them options moving forward. Bagley will be in the final year of his rookie contract next season and given that fact that he has been injury prone over the years, the 2021-22 season would almost be like a trial run for him with the Spurs.
Entering the offseason, San Antonio is expected to have about $45M in cap space to play around with and they could use some of this money to invest in a young player with a lot of potential like Marvin Bagley III.
At a fairly reasonable cost of $11.3M next season, the Spurs would have Bagley for the season, see how he fits in and then evaluate whether or not they want to keep him long-term. They would have all the leverage in terms of his future as well seeing as he will be a restricted free agent and they can match any offer when he is a free agent.
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Giving up two second-round picks would be a steal for Bagley, especially given the potential upside he could bring to this organization. At times, he has shown the ability to be a dominant interior player who can help push the ball in transition, which is why San Antonio could be a perfect destination for Marvin Bagley III to continue his professional career.
With Derrick White and Dejounte Murray being the leaders of this team in the backcourt and other key talents in Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker IV, Jakob Poeltl and rookie Devin Vassell, the Spurs have plenty of young, high-energy talents that would compliment Bagley and his style of play perfectly.
If the Kings are willing to trade Bagley for no players in return and just two second-round picks, this trade is a no-brainer for the Spurs. They would essentially be getting a player with a ton of potential to fill a position of need at the cost of second-round talent, which is really worthwhile in the grand scheme of things. This will be something to track in NBA trade rumors.
