NBA Rumors: Why The San Antonio Spurs Should Trade Tiago Splitter
NBA Rumors: Amid recent developments, most notably rumors, it is in the best interested of the San Antonio Spurs to trade Tiago Splitter
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The San Antonio Spurs are not normally an organization that wastes opportunities when they are presented. Certainly not on the basketball court. That’s why everyone expects them to do the same this summer off the court, when they have the opportunity to do something special.
As has been much talked about during the last few months, the Spurs could be in a position this offseason to make a big splash in the free agent market, something that they have not done in quite some time.
According to various reports, the Spurs are going to be in play for LaMarcus Aldridge. For a while, Marc Gasol‘s name even came up but that seems to have fizzled out. Mostly because most believe that he’s going to re-sign in Memphis.
However, in order to sign Aldridge (or Gasol) outright, the Spurs might have to make some cap adjustments. And one of them might have to be in the way of trading away some salary. The top qualifiers that immediately come to mind would be either Boris Diaw or Tiago Splitter.
And because Diaw is probably not very moveable (no pun intended), because of his age and the fact that he’s pretty much the player he is now because of San Antonio’s system, that leaves us with Splitter as the perfect candidate.
Splitter, 30, is on the Spurs’ books for almost $17 million over the next two years. He’s scheduled to make $8.5 million next season. Opening that money up might be exactly what the Spurs need in order to add Aldridge and max out Kawhi Leonard, if Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili decide to come back for another season.
"[via ESPN]The working assumption nonetheless persists that the Spurs, with maestro executive R.C. Buford as their offseason point man, will manufacture at least $20 million in salary-cap space this summer to go after Aldridge — or Memphis’ Marc Gasol — even if Leonard is maxed and Duncan returns.How?One scenario on the personnel grapevine gaining steam is the notion that the Spurs could elect to explore the possibility of dealing away Tiago Splitter to create more financial flexibility. Splitter has two years left on his contract valued at just under $17 million and is quietly regarded as a key contributor in San Antonio given how well he fits as a frontcourt sidekick next to Duncan. But if you’re the Spurs — and if the increasingly loud rumbles about Aldridge having San Antonio as the preferred destination atop his wish list prove true — examining Splitter’s trade market might suddenly become unavoidable."
At the same time, by trading Splitter, the Spurs wouldn’t lose much in terms of depth if they were to add Aldridge in his place.
It makes sense but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to happen. The pieces are there. R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich just need to decide if they want to put the puzzle together.