How The Spurs Won All Their Trades: Trade Deadline Report Card

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Spurs NBA Trade deadline

Watching the trade announcements come in before the deadline was exciting Kyrie Irving is joining Luka Doncic in Dallas, and Kevin Durant has left the Nets for Phoenix. Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverly have left the Lakers. You won’t see any ESPN segments about it but, Brian Wright and the San Antonio Spurs front office were busy leading up to the NBA trade deadline.

On Tuesday the first domino fell and the Spurs acquired Dewayne Dedmon and a 2028 second-round pick from the Miami Heat for cash considerations. Jakob Poeltl has returned to Toronto after being traded for Khem Birch. As well as a protected 2024 first-round pick and two second-round picks. Josh Richardson was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the final hour before the trade deadline. The spurs received Davonte’ Graham and four, yes four second-round picks. Now that the dust has settled, let’s look at how the Spurs quietly won all their trades.

Expiring Veteran Contracts Are Gone

It’s hard to say the Spurs’ deserve an A for this year’s trades, as they didn’t land a superstar talent. However, if you consider what was gained, the Spurs’ front office has to feel they came out on top. The Spurs announced Thursday evening that they will waive Dedmon, so they essentially bought a second-round pick from Miami. Poeltl’s agent had made it clear that he had no interest in signing an extension with the Spurs, so getting a first-round pick, two second-round picks, and Birch is a win. Graham and four second-round picks for Josh Richardson, that’s a win every day of the week. The Spurs were also able to retain Doug McDermott. As a consistent producer off the bench, he’ll be a great player and mentor for another season, if he survives the offseason.

What To Expect From The New Players

Birch is likely to take Gorgui Dieng’s spot on the roster. Don’t expect him to see much playing time. For Devonte Graham, even though his stat lines are in a steady decline over the last three seasons, he still can score. Graham proved it in his Spurs debut where he tallied 31 points off of the bench. These moves don’t make the Spurs a playoff-contending team. However, with multiple generational talents in the upcoming draft, they are in a position to make the most of their 14% chance of getting a top pick.

The Future Is Bright In San Antonio

The Spurs are likely to get a top seven-pick guaranteed. If there’s another player Wright likes he now has 20 future picks to bargain with to get them. Some Spurs fans might not like having to be patient after 3 consecutive decades of winning records and playoff runs. To them, I’d say. the future is bright for the Spurs if they make the right moves with these picks. 

Trade Deadline Report Card

I’m giving the Spurs a B for their trades this season, what grade do they get from you? Comment Below.

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