The San Antonio Spurs still have their key players secured for some time, but it’s still imperative the organization prepare for free agency
The San Antonio Spurs have six pending free agents on their roster, three of which have player options: Pau Gasol, David Lee and Dewayne Dedmon. Ultimately, Gasol and Lee have a good chance of exercising their options and committing to the Spurs for another season, but the possibility of a trade is not out of the question.
With LaMarcus Aldridge playing as the top power forward, and the need for youth becoming inherently obvious, the Spurs could easily opt to replace aging veterans with younger, potential stars.
Like Gasol and his other colleagues, Manu Ginobili is a free agent this summer; retirement looks like a viable option for the Argentinian shooting guard.
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"“I do not think it will go much longer,” Ginobili said of his career, via Jeff Garcia."
Ginobili has played 15 seasons in the NBA, faced a plethora of injuries, and has still managed to give it his all to San Antonio. If the Spurs opt to deny Ginobili any contract talks, we should expect him to retire a proud winner of three championships with the Spurs.
Other points to acknowledge
Patty Mills and Jonathon Simmons are both free agents this summer as well, the latter is restricted.
Simmons is by no means a standout talent, but he has the potential for the betterment of the organization. His averages for the season mirror his stat lines from last season. He opened up the season with a nice dunk, and although he hasn’t been a consistent offensive threat, he’s young and there’s a lot to look forward to.
Mills, on the other hand, has spent five years with the franchise and, for the most part, offers a consistent offensive presence. He’s started seven games this season in place of Tony Parker, another name connected to myriad injuries. Mills isn’t Parker, of course, as he’s not going to change the course of the game through elite, point guard technique.
However, he’s been integral to the ball movement that we’ve all witnessed in San Antonio, so there’s no doubt the Spurs fight to keep Mills under contract.
When all is said and done, the Spurs could be without a few of their veterans this offseason, which opens up endless possibilities for them to acquire more role players and, potentially, another star talent.
Chris Paul, for instance, has a player option this summer, but with the direction the Clippers are heading, he could very well be looking for a new team. If the Spurs hopped on that opportunity, they’d bring in, albeit another veteran point guard, a strong defensive and offensive player.
This union would be a decent boost to the already amazing culture of the Spurs. Gregg Popovich, too, could possibly bring out the best in Paul in the latter years of his prime. That and the trio of Kawhi Leonard, Aldridge and Paul could prove lethal. Paul is still hungry for a championship, and the Spurs have a winning mentality year in and year out.
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The situation we’re exploring is highly speculative, of course, but it would be an interesting turn of events. Regardless, the Spurs need to buckle down ahead of playoffs in order to brace themselves for what free agency brings.