NBA: Positive takeaways for the 6 teams eliminated from the bubble

San Antonio Spurs: A chance to start fresh

The streak is over. Despite a commendable run in Orlando, the San Antonio Spurs won’t be playing in the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons. The fact that there are people old enough to legally buy alcohol who haven’t been alive for an NBA postseason without the Spurs is unbelievable and speaks to the consistency they’ve had in San Antonio for so long.

It seems impossible to imagine the Spurs heading towards a rebuild, but it’s time for them to get a fresh start. Assuming DeMar DeRozan picks up his nearly $28 million player option for next season which seems like the obvious choice for him, the Spurs will have four pretty significant expiring contracts that could be moved. DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, and Patty Mills are all scheduled to come off the books at the end of 2021 and would likely garner some interest from contenders at next season’s trade deadline.

It seems like the obvious path for the Spurs to move those players or let them go to free agency and start building for the future. I’m usually not confident in most NBA teams’ ability to rebuild, but this is the Spurs. They won’t be down for long.