Where DeJuan Blair could land

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DeJuan BlairIt was reported earlier in the day that the San Antonio Spurs were shopping DeJuan Blair in part to make room for Europeans Erazem Lorbek and Nando DeColo to come over.  As a rebounder, energy guy and pick and roll scorer, Blair could prove to be a very valuable role player for a team.  If the Spurs are in fact looking at moving in to the late first/early second round of the draft, here’s a look at which teams could be in play.

-Golden State Warriors: Jonathan Givony with DraftExpress.com tweeted that the Warriors really like Blair and could use the extra size behind Andrew Bogut and David Lee.  The Warriors also have a ton of draft picks this year including the last pick in the first round thanks to the Spurs.

-Boston Celtics: You never know what Danny Ainge is thinking except that he is always active around draft time.  The Celtics big man rotation was limited last season and Blair would be able to contribute right away as much as any draft pick would.  He could be like Glen “Big Baby” Davis, only a better rebounder.

-Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs own the 24th pick overall and might try to trade the pick if it’s not involved in trading up from number four to number two so they can draft Bradley Beal. Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson are pretty much the only bigs they have. Is Blair someone they’re interested in? Would the Spurs include Gary Neal to get a deal done? Cleveland also has the 33rd and 34th picks in the second round.

-Miami Heat: The Heat are obviously in win now mode and could use some extra size, rebounding and someone who can catch the ball around the rim (sorry Joel Anthony).  They could definitely use Blair instead of trying to develop a guy like Dexter Pittman.

Assuming the Spurs do trade Blair, I’d look for them to target another big guy like Andrew Nicholson, Perry Jones III, Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo. Sullinger and Jones don’t totally fit with the Spurs’ needs because neither is much of a paint protector, but you do not pass up lottery talent like that. They could also draft Frenchman Evan Fournier and stash him in Europe for a year, cause you know, that’s what they do.