Shams: Spurs stocking their assets for a bigger move, bigger player than KD who may fit their timeline

[___Rand___]

Shams: Spurs stocking their assets for a bigger move, bigger player than KD who may fit their timeline

https://youtu.be/DfIPOIi3zoQ?si=TVZeGAXp6gyXT1sT&t=308 (timestamped link)

Who would they be thinking of here bigger than KD? Giannis? But does Giannis "fits" their timeline at 30/31? If not, then who are the Spurs targeting who's young yet bigger than KD? Luka? SGA?

[TGW]

Maybe their going to make a massive offer for JJJ?

[hauntedcomputer]

Maybe their going to make a massive offer for JJJ?

Why? He's Wemby Lite at twice the price and then you have to overpay him. He's not on the market anyway.

I don't think Spurs make the move this year. Giannis could fit the timeline but he's probably not going anywhere. And he ain't cheap. That's the problem. Who wants to pay KD when you lose half of your role players to do it?

[UglyBugBall]

Yeah i think it’s the right call too. KD is kinda fool’s gold at this point. Still too good to come off the bench, but not good enough to carry or even be a second option on a real contender anymore. ...And he’s old old. bringing him in would stunt wemby’s development and drain a ton of assets for maybe a 2-year window that probably doesn’t even open. Spurs should go full okc route, build slow and smart around wemby with younger stars who actually fit the timeline.

[JB2]

Does it have to be for one specific player or can they just keep all their options available?

[SkyBill40]

Good. KD is fools gold at this point.

He's still a proven commodity and could turn things into something interesting with the Spurs, but I think his best days are definitely behind him even though he's very capable even at this advanced age.

[Asianiac_24]

It’s better to stay patient and wait for a second star to be available at roughly the same age range as Wemby so you don’t end up in a LeBron/Cavs situation where the team never ends up good enough to compete for a championship, but also not bad enough to accumulate asset. If Castle can take another leap, or if they draft another stud, they might not even need to make a trade at all.

[UglyBugBall]

Good. KD is fools gold at this point.

He's still a proven commodity and could turn things into something interesting with the Spurs, but I think his best days are definitely behind him even though he's very capable even at this advanced age.

The only thing he’s proven lately is that he can’t win with help. He had two other 20+ PPG guys and still couldn’t make the playoffs. It’s been how many years since he made it past Round Two? It's not like he's been on trash teams. He's been on two big-3s in that span, and doesn't even have a CF to show for it. And his defense has noticeably dropped off too. He's really not proven anything lately, unless you mean he's proven that you can't win with him as a top 2 option anymore.

More importantly, he doesn’t bring the kind of leadership you want around a generational 20-year-old. CP3 helps with that for now, but KD is basically the opposite of what you want mentoring Wemby—he’s not building anyone up mentally or setting the tone. Spurs need guys who elevate the Wemby individually, as well as the team.

[Bucks4005]

Maybe their going to make a massive offer for JJJ?

Why? He's Wemby Lite at twice the price and then you have to overpay him. He's not on the market anyway.

I don't think Spurs make the move this year. Giannis could fit the timeline but he's probably not going anywhere. And he ain't cheap. That's the problem. Who wants to pay KD when you lose half of your role players to do it?

Why? Who wouldn’t want two DPOY level bigs in their frontcourt who can both spread the floor? Especially since one is capable of playing PF and the other C for long minutes. You basically are setting yourself up to have a top 5 defense without sacrificing spacing.

The question is why wouldn’t they want JJJ? I guess you could argue they’re a bit redundant, but in terms of projection, wouldn’t really see an issue playing JJJ at PF and Wemby at C.

[SkyBill40]

Good. KD is fools gold at this point.

He's still a proven commodity and could turn things into something interesting with the Spurs, but I think his best days are definitely behind him even though he's very capable even at this advanced age.

The only thing he’s proven lately is that he can’t win with help. He had two other 20+ PPG guys and still couldn’t make the playoffs. It’s been how many years since he made it past Round Two? It's not like he's been on trash teams. He's been on two big-3s in that span, and doesn't even have a CF to show for it. And his defense has noticeably dropped off too. He's really not proven anything lately, unless you mean he's proven that you can't win with him as a top 2 option anymore.

More importantly, he doesn’t bring the kind of leadership you want around a generational 20-year-old. CP3 helps with that for now, but KD is basically the opposite of what you want mentoring Wemby—he’s not building anyone up mentally or setting the tone. Spurs need guys who elevate the Wemby individually, as well as the team.

Roster construction and makeup are important, and including Beal in any discussion is laughable. There never really was any hope of getting to the playoffs with that squad as they were terrible despite the hot start. He's still a seven foot scoring machine with a pretty automatic jump shot. That does help to stretch defenses significantly. And I'm not really a Durant fan; his ability is obvious and has been his entire career.

Now as far as your point of him not being the guy you want around developing guys due to his penchant for being a coach killer and a low key malcontent? Yeah, there's no hiding that.

[The Master]

Yeah, it's been pretty obvious from the outside that while Spurs could trade for KD if he's on discount - trading away your best assets (#2, Castle, picks depth) doesn't make any sense. I don't think it means that they surely have anyone in mind RIGHT NOW.

[holdenwait]

as they should. smart move, as they would. they should be in no particular rush to find the right piece(s). especially with this #2 pick incoming, they have a very exciting future.

[SkyBill40]

Yeah, it's been pretty obvious from the outside that while Spurs could trade for KD if he's on discount - trading away your best assets (#2, Castle, picks depth) doesn't make any sense. I don't think it means that they surely have anyone in mind RIGHT NOW.

There's no chance the Spurs trade #2 and/or Castle. The best the Suns would get out of them would be #14. Ishbia can wishbia all he wants, but the Spurs aren't stupid.

[UglyBugBall]

He's still a proven commodity and could turn things into something interesting with the Spurs, but I think his best days are definitely behind him even though he's very capable even at this advanced age.

The only thing he’s proven lately is that he can’t win with help. He had two other 20+ PPG guys and still couldn’t make the playoffs. It’s been how many years since he made it past Round Two? It's not like he's been on trash teams. He's been on two big-3s in that span, and doesn't even have a CF to show for it. And his defense has noticeably dropped off too. He's really not proven anything lately, unless you mean he's proven that you can't win with him as a top 2 option anymore.

More importantly, he doesn’t bring the kind of leadership you want around a generational 20-year-old. CP3 helps with that for now, but KD is basically the opposite of what you want mentoring Wemby—he’s not building anyone up mentally or setting the tone. Spurs need guys who elevate the Wemby individually, as well as the team.

Roster construction and makeup are important, and including Beal in any discussion is laughable. There never really was any hope of getting to the playoffs with that squad as they were terrible despite the hot start. He's still a seven foot scoring machine with a pretty automatic jump shot. That does help to stretch defenses significantly. And I'm not really a Durant fan; his ability is obvious and has been his entire career.

Now as far as your point of him not being the guy you want around developing guys due to his penchant for being a coach killer and a low key malcontent? Yeah, there's no hiding that.

KD at this point is a more efficient version of other high-scoring guys on bad or mid teams who don’t really impact winning. Think guys like Devin Booker, younger DeMar DeRozan, or even Trae Young and Zach Levine. They put up big numbers but it doesn’t move the team forward in any meaningful way. Is KD better than all of them? Yeah, he's more efficient. But he's not THAT much better, and the team results show that. The rosters might have been poorly constructed but they didn't lack top end talent. I don't expect a ring out of these teams, but his teams have grossly underperformed for a while now, and his lack of interest in elevating teams in locker rooms and off court (which he admits he's not interested in), makes his value limited to the points he puts up in any given game.

KD’s scoring looks great on paper, but the defensive drop off, lack of leadership, and inability to elevate teammates makes the overall impact pretty hollow. He’s not dragging anyone to a higher level. You watch the games and it feels like he’s just there, doing his thing putting up 30, while the team goes nowhere.

[Wolveswin]

as they should. smart move, as they would. they should be in no particular rush to find the right piece(s). especially with this #2 pick incoming, they have a very exciting future.

Other than the big elephant in the room. Health of Wemby. Thread in itself.

Wemby’s career arc at his size - track record proves will be different than a typical NBA player. How much? Debatable.

When should Spurs strike on the win-now? Debatable.

[Optms]

Wait until one of Giannis or Jokic ask out. Smart move actually.

[HMFFL]

Yeah, it's been pretty obvious from the outside that while Spurs could trade for KD if he's on discount - trading away your best assets (#2, Castle, picks depth) doesn't make any sense. I don't think it means that they surely have anyone in mind RIGHT NOW.

That second best option shoots 42% from the field and 28% from three. That's not an asset to me until those percentages improve.

[The Master]

There's no chance the Spurs trade #2 and/or Castle. The best the Suns would get out of them would be #14. Ishbia can wishbia all he wants, but the Spurs aren't stupid.

Sure, but to be honest, I was a bit afraid that one of the teams I enjoy watching (Spurs, Rockets) will overpay for KD: fortunately, based on all the intel we receive, that's not the case and everyone is realistic about KDs value. Funny enough, the one team in position to trade for him (Sota) isn't the destination that he enjoys.

But...

KD at this point is a more efficient version of other high-scoring guys on bad or mid teams who don’t really impact winning. Think guys like Devin Booker, younger DeMar DeRozan, or even Trae Young and Zach Levine. They put up big numbers but it doesn’t move the team forward in any meaningful way. Is KD better than all of them? Yeah, he's more efficient. But he's not THAT much better, and the team results show that. The rosters might have been poorly constructed but they didn't lack top end talent. I don't expect a ring out of these teams, but his teams have grossly underperformed for a while now, and his lack of interest in elevating teams in locker rooms and off court (which he admits he's not interested in), makes his value limited to the points he puts up in any given game.

I would say in vacuum, healthy Durant IS much better than DeRozan, Young or LaVine from contending standpoint, he's still a great scorer-great offball scorer-passable defender combination. Even last two seasons he was still a ~4.0 OBPM player with crazy good fit for a contender considering his offball skills.

Him being an injury-prone 37yo on one-year deal, with ~50 mil salary, is what tanks his value badly. Him hardballing and openly giving leaks about not enjoying Minnesota is really a **** move towards Suns.

[DirtyDez]

Yeah i think it’s the right call too. KD is kinda fool’s gold at this point. Still too good to come off the bench, but not good enough to carry or even be a second option on a real contender anymore. ...And he’s old old. bringing him in would stunt wemby’s development and drain a ton of assets for maybe a 2-year window that probably doesn’t even open. Spurs should go full okc route, build slow and smart around wemby with younger stars who actually fit the timeline.

How does adding a 6’11 efficient scorer/shooter hurt Wemby? Thats the best frontcourt in the league.

[Wolveswin]

Brown would be interesting if Celtics want to take a true gap year.

Vassell/Barnes/Sochan/#14/Future Hawks 1st/Picks as needed