Why This Trade Makes Sense For The San Antonio Spurs

For the first time in 22 NBA seasons, the San Antonio Spurs missed the NBA playoffs. The last time this happened, Microsoft became the world’s richest company, Titanic was the No. 1 movie in America, and gas was $1.22 per gallon. Life was way different then than it is now and just goes to show how impressive this run by the San Antonio Spurs organization was. For a solid two decades, they were one of the most dominant franchises in all of professional sports.

Every win streak and postseason run ultimately comes to an end and in a year where the unexpected becomes reality, this is yet another chapter of how cruel 2020 can be. The Spurs organization as a whole though is not in a tough position at all. They do have aging veterans such as Rudy Gay and LaMarcus Aldridge, but they also have a lot of solid young players like Dejounte Murray and Derrick White who will be some of the core players for the Spurs moving forward.

DeMar DeRozan has been a big part of the Spurs since joining them in 2018, but trading him for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith may make more sense than it appears. Hardaway Jr. is a proven scorer on the wing and given the Spurs defensive tendencies, Finney-Smith would fit right in. 

It may not seem the Spurs are getting fair value for DeRozan, but both guys they would be acquiring are still sustainable players for many years to come. Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. are 27 and 28-years old respectively and can be high-level players for the foreseeable future with the Spurs. 

San Antonio has virtually no depth on the wing, but with the additions of these two role players, they would finally address a need on this roster. The Spurs are going to be a good team moving forward given their youthful core, but Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith are two great role players to add alongside them.