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The Trade Machine


I recently posted an article about statistically identifying good trade and free agency acquisitions for the San Antonio Spurs. With this article, I am going to suggest how the Spurs are going to acquire the aforementioned players. For those who haven’t read the previous article yet, the eight players we will be trying to trade for are Aaron Gordon, Will Barton, Malik Monk, E’Twaun Moore, Otto Porter Jr., Dario Saric, Mo Bamba and Montrezl Harrell. Depending on their contracts, we might try to sign them in free agency. So, without further ado, let’s look at our first trade.

1. Aaron Gordon and Khem Birch for DeMar DeRozan and a 2021 2nd round pick

This trade is one of the few that benefit both teams. The Orlando Magic have struggled to generate offense, ranking bottom 10 in the league over the last two seasons, and DeRozan, a 25 point per game scorer, would certainly help with that. His defensive limitations will be overshadowed by the rest of Orlando’s main 5, which ranked in the top 10 in defensive rating in the last two seasons.

Aaron Gordon plays best in the power forward position, but the emergence of Johnathan Isaac has forced him to spend time at small forward. Moving to San Antonio would allow him to play his more natural position, which could help him reach his full potential. Gordon has displayed potential with his three-point shot, shooting 35% on 4.4 attempts in 2018-19, and shooting coach Chip Engelland could help him polish his form. Khem Birch could become a nice back up big man for San Antonio in case Jakob Poeltl leaves in free agency. The Spurs could also receive Mo Bamba instead of Birch.

For this trade to happen, DeMar DeRozan has to accept his player option, or the Spurs need to work out a sign and trade deal with Orlando.

2.(Sign and trade) Bryn Forbes and a 2021 1st round pick for Mo Bamba and a 2021 2nd round pick

This is not a very good trade from the Spurs’ point of view, but it still deserves consideration if they think that Mo Bamba can become a fringe All-Star. Forbes is entering free agency this year, and will probably get a contract in the range of 5-8 million a year. He could provide a nice spark of the bench for Orlando as a 3-point specialist.

For San Antonio, if Bamba can develop his shot and contest without fouling, he could become the interior presence in a Spurs defence that could one day become the best in the league, with players like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Keldon Johnson.

However, this trade is unlikely to happen because of the high price of a first round pick and the possibility that Forbes gets a better contract from another team.

3.Signing Montrezl Harrell in free agency

This move is one that hinges on DeMar DeRozan declining his player option and entering free agency. If DeRozan picks up his player option, LaMarcus Aldridge will likely be traded to make room for Harrell’s contract. Harrell will likely earn somewhere in the range of 18-20 million a year, but as the Spurs are unlikely to be major players in the 2021 offseason, they can afford to give Harrell a contract of this size. Harrell would help boost their bench scoring, and would give San Antonio a great scorer on the court at all times, allowing the starters to rest without the fear of blown leads. While he does have defensive limitations, he could be paired with a shot blocker like Jakob Poeltl to ensure that he can be hidden on less threatening opponents.

 

The Spurs have many avenues to improve the team this free agency period, and these scenarios are just a few that can help the Spurs keep their record playoff streak alive.



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