As the NBA offseason continues to unfold, it appears that the San Antonio Spurs may be done making moves. While they had a great draft, selecting Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant, and made a smart free agent signing by adding Luke Kornet, their roster still has clear flaws.
There is a logjam at guard and on the wing, and yet few shooters on their roster. That would have been different had they traded for Kevin Durant. The Spurs were once seen as the frontrunner to land him but broke off negotiations after the Phoenix Suns demanded the second overall pick or Stephon Castle.That was obviously not going to happen, but the Houston Rockets continued to negotiate after it seemed that the Suns didn’t want Jalen Green. However, the Suns relented and agreed to a deal that included Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick, and five seconds, suggesting the Spurs could have worn them down and landed Durant.
The Spurs had the assets but passed up landing Durant
The Spurs’ reported offer of Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and the 14th pick was a competitive one, but they could have sweetened the offer. The Spurs have 16 second-round picks over the next seven years.
Had they thrown in five like the Rockets did, then they might’ve been able to pry him away from the Suns. Especially with some juicy second-rounders such as the New Orleans Pelicans’ and L.A. Clippers’ 2028 seconds and the Sacramento Kings’ 2030 and 2031 seconds. All of those selections could easily yield high second-round draft picks.Trading for Durant would have made sense with him starting at power forward and beefing up their offense by giving them one of the best shooters in the NBA. It would have also cleared a path for Harper to start or at least play big minutes off the bench.
Not trading for Kevin Durant will expose major roster flaws
Instead, the Spurs have an odd roster, which will feature the second overall pick coming off the bench and possibly playing fewer than 20 minutes per game, and a second unit that features only one shooter.
They could solve the Harper situation by playing Harper as both backup point guard and shooting guard and sharing the floor with either De’Aaron Fox or Stephon Castle. But that would mean that Julian Champagnie or Keldon Johnson would be removed from the rotation, which could hurt the bench further.Perhaps they are keeping their powder dry for Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Vassell and Barnes’ contracts being needed to match salaries, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll become available.
Barring a major move, the Spurs failed to solve their biggest problem, and it could hurt them as they have only three shooters in their projected rotation. Durant would have single-handedly solved that and made the roster make a lot more sense.
All told, while the Spurs improved, they still have a major flaw with their lack of shooting. They could’ve solved that by sweetening the offer they made to the Suns to try and land Durant. If the Spurs struggle to shoot the ball next season, they will definitely regret not trading for Durant.
