Would this trade make sense for the San Antonio Spurs?

The San Antonio Spurs are in an awkward position. They are not good enough to truly be considered contenders, especially in the Western Conference. But, they are not bad enough to be in the mix for a top pick. They are stuck in the dreaded no man’s land of the NBA and have to decide what they want to do.

The one thing that San Antonio does have going for them is that they have what looks like a strong core of young players. Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell give the Spurs a lot of hope for the future. They added to that backcourt depth with the selection of Josh Primo with their first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

While players such as Murray and White are reportedly getable this offseason, they aren’t going to be traded just for the sake of making a move. San Antonio will have to get back something of value, as they did in this swap with Thaddeus Young.

Jalen Smith would give the Spurs a young building block in the frontcourt, something they are currently lacking. All of the players mentioned before are guards or wings. Adding a high-ceiling frontcourt player like Smith to develop with them would be smart.

Smith has shown that he still needs more development, but he can be a difference-maker on both ends of the court. He has shown some floor spacing ability and is a pogo stick on defense, making for a good rim protector.

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While Saric is out this season, the Spurs could flip him for more assets once he is healthy or insert him into their rotation as a strong frontcourt piece.

Now that we looked at things for the Spurs, let’s examine why the Suns would make this deal.