Does this trade make sense for the San Antonio Spurs?
With all of the uncertainty about DeRozan’s future with the Spurs and the fact that they do not really have much scoring talent, trading away Derrick White would be foolish for the Spurs. Without DeMar DeRozan, Derrick White could instantly become the star player for the Spurs on offense, which is why they cannot afford to trade him.
White had a bunch of breakout performances during the 2019-20 season and if he had not missed over half the season this year, he would have continued to grow into an offensive weapon for the Spurs, which is why they need to be patient with him and give him the chance to run the offense next to Dejounte Murray.
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These two guys can be something special together in San Antonio’s backcourt, which is why they gave White a big contract-extension back in December. They obviously want to keep him long-term so trading him away does not seem likely at this point unless he wants out of San Antonio.
Adding DiVincenzo and Lopez definitely spaces out the floor a little better for the Spurs given their need for three-point shooters, but they do not really get enough value back. If they were getting some first-round picks, this trade would definitely work out in their favor, but overall, the Spurs should stay away from dealing Derrick White in the offseason.
If the right deal comes along for Jakob Poeltl though and they can get some immediate value for him, then they should definitely pull the trigger. He is nothing more than a “filler” at the center position right now and with other guys like Drew Eubanks, Luka Samanic and possibly Trey Lyles, if they re-sign him, the Spurs can get away with not having Poeltl on their team next year.
Trading away Derrick White though would be a bad move for this franchise, especially if they are trying to build a playoff contender for the future with their young core. White and Murray are the leaders of the Spurs without DeMar DeRozan, which is why trading him away makes little sense.
