Why The San Antonio Spurs Do The Deal

Conversely, the Spurs won’t be concerned with getting better in 2022-23 – in fact, they’ll have the opposite goals. 

This summer, the Spurs moved Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for three first-round picks. That move signaled a clear intention: for the first time in a long time, the Spurs are rebuilding. 

The opportunity to land a first-round pick and a swap from the Lakers should be too good to pass on in that light.

Realistically, the only reason this deal hasn’t already gone down is likely that the Lakers are holding out for something better. 

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They may get it, especially if they’re willing to surrender more draft capital. Still, if negotiations stall elsewhere, this deal ought to benefit both sides: It makes the Lakers better, and it helps the Spurs to be as bad as they’d hope to be.