2 Spurs we'd be surprised to see on the roster after the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline

The San Antonio Spurs have surprised many with how well they've played this far into the season. With a record of .500 nearing the halfway point of the season, they remain in playoff contention, and they have real aspirations of making it to the postseason. Several players have either lived up to or exceeded their preseason expectations, giving fans more hope than they've had in half a decade.

However, now that we can see their potential, their flaws are even more glaring, and you can't help but picture how far this team could go if they cleaned up a few areas. The problem is that the things that need addressing are personnel-based, so they'd have to make a trade if they want to reach their goals. Fortunately, they have the assets to do so, and there's no doubt they should.

Zach Collins should be moved by the deadline

The backup center position has become untenable. The Spurs need to do something to address the lack of depth behind Victor Wembanyama. They can't simply keep playing him over long stretches, expecting him to have his legs in the fourth quarter. Mainly because it hasn't been happening. Wemby has looked winded at the end of several games over the last month, many resulting in losses.

Collins hasn't played at least 20 minutes in a game since the first Chicago Bulls game of the season when Wembanyama was out. That was December 5, and prior to that, the most he'd played in a game was 13 minutes since the Utah game on November 21. He's almost been completely removed from the rotation with several DNPs this season due to the coach's discretion.

The former Gonzaga standout makes too much money—Collins is the fourth-highest-paid player on the team—to be a benchwarmer, and San Antonio is in desperate need of a player they can rely on for solid minutes when the Alien takes a seat.

His most obvious issue is his poor offense, but you would hope he could at least defend. But for a player who only averages 13.9 minutes a game, Zach is too often on the wrong end of a bucket.

The Basketball Index describes this stat as follows: This is an estimate of how often a defender is involved in defending a scoring action as a primary defender

This doesn't say an 'attempted scoring action,' so that means Zach Collins is scored on so often that he's listed with some of the worst defensive bigs in the league. The confusing part for some may be Rudy Gobert's place on this list, but the Stifle Tower has made most of his money off being a strong help/team defender, not a primary one.

It's time for Malaki Branham to go

Meanwhile, Malaki Branham has ridden the bench so much that his seat probably has his initials on it. He has seven DNPs in December, and through the three games thus far in January, he hasn't stepped foot on the court. The reasons are obvious, as his net rating is the worst on the roster (-16). He doesn't bring enough to either side of the ball, and the Spurs would be smart to move him.

Finding someone to take him may be an issue but if they could pair him with Collins and throw in a less valuable first-round pick, or a couple of seconds, the front office may be able to bring in a backup center who can actually contribute.

Tre Jones is another option to be traded since he'd have more value, but the Spurs would likely rather keep a strong guard next to Stephon Castle when he's on the court, whether that's him or Chris Paul. Castle plays better when he's not the primary ball handler, and while the plan may eventually be for him to run the team as the primary point guard, he's not there yet.

The team has several needs, but they won't address them all right now. But getting a backup center they can trust in the building will help their short-term goals to gain experience, make the playoffs, and protect Wemby while also helping the long-term growth of the players. By getting to the playoffs, they'll get valuable experience by living what it takes to win a high-stakes series in the postseason.