Few teams have more at stake during the 2023 NBA offseason than the San Antonio Spurs. After missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year, the Spurs have a strong chance to land a franchise-altering player. San Antonio can build a young nucleus that will contend in a few years through both the NBA Draft and trades.
With a bottom-three record in the league, the Spurs have a 14% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. French basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama is the consensus top player in the draft and arguably the best prospect since LeBron James. Even if San Antonio gets the No. 2 or No. 3 draft pick, the likes of Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller have a chance to be All-NBA players.
The Spurs aren’t close to competing for a championship. San Antonio has won fewer than 25 games for the first time in 26 years. All of the team’s veterans should be on the trade block if the Spurs can turn them into draft picks or young players.
Spurs must trade Doug McDermott in the 2023 NBA offseason
Doug McDermott is the Spurs’ most obvious trade candidate for a few reasons. For starters, McDermott is a role player, one that can be valuable to a playoff team. San Antonio almost certainly isn’t going to the 2024 NBA playoffs, even in a best-case scenario where Wembanyama ends up on the Spurs.
McDermott has one year left on his contract. By the time the Spurs are ready to make the postseason, McDermott could be long gone in free agency. San Antonio will be best served by trying to get value for McDermott this summer instead of letting him walk for nothing next year.
With one year and $13.75 million left on his deal, McDermott has a tradeable contract. Sure, San Antonio could explore moving him at the 2024 trade deadline. But the return on McDermott could be greater in the offseason when a potential suitor can add him to its roster for the entire 2023-2024 season. McDermott’s value might not be as high in February when he becomes a three-month rental.
Nine years after becoming a lottery pick, McDermott remains a dead-eye 3-point shooter. The 31-year-old is shooting 41.8% for the 2022-2023 season, just north of his career average. He’s also averaging 10.3 points per game, playing entirely off the bench. It’s the fourth consecutive season in which McDermott is a double-digit scorer.
Don’t expect a team to trade a first-round pick for McDermott. Acquiring a second rounder in exchange for the sharpshooter would be worth it. Considering San Antonio’s impressive draft history, every pick that the team owns moving forward is a valuable asset.
Derrick White, Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson proved to be smart late first-round draft picks. Manu Ginobili, of course, was one of the greatest second-round selections in NBA history. Turning McDermott into a draft pick would only increase the Spurs’ chances of finding a player who can contribute to San Antonio’s next championship-caliber team.
Keldon Johnson leads the Spurs with 22.0 points per game at just 23 years old. Jeremy Sochan isn’t going anywhere one year after San Antonio drafted him ninth overall. Devin Vassell has shown a lot of promise in his third season. Devonte’ Graham’s contract and disappointing 3-point shooting don’t make him much of a trade asset.
“There’s not a way that he can’t score,” Phoenix coach Monty Williams said about Durant after Sunday’s win. “Those kind of players — they want those (clutch) shots. They’re so used to having the ball in their hands. … Guys work their tails off to be ready for those shots and he and Booker are a case in point. That’s what Kevin does.”
Phoenix has won the first two games with the Spurs this season and has defeated San Antonio eight straight times dating back to May 2021.
The Spurs (20-58) head to Phoenix after a rousing 142-134 overtime win in Sacramento on Sunday that snapped a six-game losing streak. San Antonio got a combined 56 points from reserves Doug McDermott (season-best 30 points) and Julian Champagnie (career-high 26 points).
Nine of McDermott’s points came in the extra period in which the Spurs never trailed, while Champagnie scored 22 of his points before halftime.
San Antonio also got a triple-double from Tre Jones (17 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) in the win, a double-double from Dominick Barlow (12 points, 10 rebounds), 16 points from Zach Collins, 15 from Malaki Branham and 13 from Keita Bates-Diop.
“I think it’s the defensive end, really,” Jones said. “That’s the main thing for us. We came out in overtime and they scored right away but then we were able to string a few stops together. We were able to get some stops in the middle of it all and that really helped us.”
San Antonio was without Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson due to injuries.