2021 SPURS TRADE DEADLINE THREAD

A little disappointed that we got absolutely nothing for 5 expiring contracts.

I think we completely dropped the ball on Aldridge. Who announces 2 weeks before the deadline that we are parting ways with him? That dropped whatever trade value, no matter how small it was, into the toilet. Everyone is saying it was mutual which is fine, but the only person it worked out for was Aldridge.

Maybe that will attract a free agent down the line, who knows? At least players might remember that we don't trade people just to make trades like the rest of the league.

We got Chriss for basically nothing. Maybe he and Murray can push each other.

I still dont think we are a playoff team. We might be able to hold on to that 9th or 10th spot just because the other teams fighting for it are soo bad. I'm just hoping we keep giving the younger guys minutes.

Post #48 » by **G R E Y** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 7:53 pm

imagump1313 wrote:A little disappointed that we got absolutely nothing for 5 expiring contracts.

I think we completely dropped the ball on Aldridge. Who announces 2 weeks before the deadline that we are parting ways with him? That dropped whatever trade value, no matter how small it was, into the toilet. Everyone is saying it was mutual which is fine, but the only person it worked out for was Aldridge.

Maybe that will attract a free agent down the line, who knows? At least players might remember that we don't trade people just to make trades like the rest of the league.

We got Chriss for basically nothing. Maybe he and Murray can push each other.

I still dont think we are a playoff team. We might be able to hold on to that 9th or 10th spot just because the other teams fighting for it are soo bad. I'm just hoping we keep giving the younger guys minutes.

Well I think your last point addresses your first. LMA out means it's clear Jakob gets the starter minutes. The thing is, Jakob re-signed anticipating getting a bigger role likely as starter, whether that would be after this season or sooner. So we were parting ways with LMA is the implication.

Looking back, I think LMA's 'stomach issues' or whatever else caused him to miss the final eight of our 11 games with him on the roster before the announcement was made was a tell-tale sign of his just not really being with the team and we were running out of legitimate reasons to keep him out. Everyone saw his play this season; would not announcing anything really have made a huge difference in terms of trade return? Plus there were several other players in that very same situation, so I'm not putting too much stock in the announcement hampering quality return.

I do think that, as DJ acknowledged, doing right by a player resonates a good way in the league. These things matter behind the scenes with agents and players.

I thought we ought to have traded LMA in the off-season as the signs of his not fitting with the bubble style were there when we were playing well in the new style and winning without him. But he finished last season with shoulder surgery and so who knows what was being offered on the unknown of an older player coming off injury. We had to try to play him to get his value up even if he was just about a double double player last season.

That he didn't fit with the transition style of play wasn't surprising; that his game fell off so hard especially his legs was. And so both of these - not a good fit with the new style and poor mobility and D - further affected our ability to get something worthwhile for him.

The key is worthwhile. We simply don't know what was being offered back. We do know that whatever it was didn't fit either our team currently constructed or our carefully preserved cap space. The single thing we can infer with any degree of certainty is that we will not make a deal that compromises either.

I don't think that getting handcuffed with either is better than the cap space we get. It looks like we're operating with the assertion that we're comfortable with the youth going forward, that we're comfortable with the cap space, having developed the one and preserved the other through all these changes.

I'm excited to see what we do with the league high $51M cap space.

imagump1313 · Post #49 » by **imagump1313** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:21 pm

Don't get me wrong, we are a better team without him. All i was hoping for was the cap space really. I'm just saying it was dumb to say anything before the deadline and ruin any chance for a trade. We just had to wait 2 weeks. Just say he has a leg injury or something.

Miami gave Myles Leonard and a pick to OKC for Trevor Ariza's corpse.
You can't tell me we couldn't have gotten at least something for Aldridge.

Post #50 » by **G R E Y** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:59 pm

imagump1313 wrote:Don't get me wrong, we are a better team without him. All i was hoping for was the cap space really. I'm just saying it was dumb to say anything before the deadline and ruin any chance for a trade. We just had to wait 2 weeks. Just say he has a leg injury or something.

Miami gave Myles Leonard and a pick to OKC for Trevor Ariza's corpse.
You can't tell me we couldn't have gotten at least something for Aldridge.

Well these two really aren't comparable. Miami had to attach a pick to get rid of Leonard given his huge racist gaffe.

We had deals for LMA but all that leaked out was that longer contracts were to come back. Drummond is a better comparison - big with a big contract, bought out as well and it was known for a while this was to be the route.

We tried the leg injury or something long enough that once LMA made the request it was a mutual acknowledgement of what had already been going on. I really don't think the two weeks would have made for some stealth deal, but it's more to do with how LMA had played than anything else. I think a formal acknowledgement made for a clean and clear direction from both sides. It eliminated any potential rumours or conjecture and that has value, too. But sure, we differ on the impact of the public announcement. Who knows what the impact of LMA in limbo was having on the team even just from awkwardness of it being unresolved. Cap space here we come!

Post #51 » by **G R E Y** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:03 pm

Aaaaand right on cue:

Read on Twitter

Significant time at C? Um ok. Look just say you're chasing a ring and this is the best chance. This was already made public as a central factor. Just glad he didn't go to join snake out west. And Heat were signaling hard publicly for him to sign with them so I'm glad he made a choice that's best for him rather than cater to that type of public pressure/luring for a free acquisition.

Should've traded for him to secure him after all, Heat!

imagump1313 · Post #52 » by **imagump1313** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 10:14 pm

Well, at least he didn't go to the Lakers :lol:

Post #53 » by **G R E Y** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:39 pm

YESSS! SMART back up big move, PATFO! :clap:

Read on Twitter

FO putting in the work!

Post #54 » by **G R E Y** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 4:23 pm

Read on Twitter

Post #55 » by **G R E Y** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:06 pm

This is a seriously very solid to excellent signing. Dieng stretches the floor for us at the 5 which is a great threat to have again. Plus on the D end:

Read on Twitter

I wonder if LMA's surprisingly sizeable buyout helped facilitate Dieng signing with us? If so, then this is a solid win-win for everyone involved.

EDIT to add:

Read on Twitter

Post #56 » by **Domejandro** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:28 pm

Gorgui Dieng is a very good player, he is fully capable of filling in as a starting center, when needed. Spurs got an excellent pickup, with him.

Captain Ballmer · Post #57 » by **Captain Ballmer** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 1:55 pm

So Eubanks 3rd string big now? If so i'm gonna add fantasy beast Gorgui for my team.

Post #58 » by **G R E Y** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 5:37 pm

Captain Ballmer wrote:So Eubanks 3rd string big now? If so i'm gonna add fantasy beast Gorgui for my team.

We've done the 4-by-committee well enough but if he can provide some match-up problems or a D advantage, it wouldn't surprise me if we occasionally tried Gorgui at the 4. However, but for two years, he's overwhelmingly played at the 5 and this is the position in bigger need of support.

Drew has done what he can and his energy is always welcome, but yeah any time we can add a big with some good defense who hits 3s - now our sole 5 who does so consistently, it automatically puts him in a position to step in and contribute right away.

I'm curious to see how we can expand our big-to-big passing with Gorgui on the team, too.

Post #59 » by **SD2042** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 6:53 pm

Good one on the Spurs part to get after Dieng. With his capabilities, he will bolster the Spurs front court and should be a decent contributor to the team for the remainder of the season.

Post #60 » by **SD2042** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:48 pm

imagump1313 wrote:A little disappointed that we got absolutely nothing for 5 expiring contracts.

I think we completely dropped the ball on Aldridge. Who announces 2 weeks before the deadline that we are parting ways with him? That dropped whatever trade value, no matter how small it was, into the toilet. Everyone is saying it was mutual which is fine, but the only person it worked out for was Aldridge.

Maybe that will attract a free agent down the line, who knows? At least players might remember that we don't trade people just to make trades like the rest of the league.

We got Chriss for basically nothing. Maybe he and Murray can push each other.

I still dont think we are a playoff team. We might be able to hold on to that 9th or 10th spot just because the other teams fighting for it are soo bad. I'm just hoping we keep giving the younger guys minutes.

Based on LMA's age and how his play has suffered dur to father time, what were the true odds, that a team were willing to trade assets to acquire him. Let's say you're a GM of team X for example. Please keep an unbias thought when I ask this question.

Based on how LMA has played this season, his age, and his worth, would you be willing to trade value to acquire him to play for your team or would you be willing to take your chances in the buyout?