San Antonio Spurs Rumors: Team had in-person workout with Deni Avdija

Rumor has it the San Antonio Spurs held an in-person workout with Israeli NBA Draft prospect Deni Avdija — A player that Spurs Twitter seems to love.

Before we get into it, there are a few things that I want to make clear before we discuss the San Antonio Spurs working Deni Avdija out.

1. I’ve never heard of this source before. It’s not to say he’s not credible considering he writes for Forbes — A well-respected publication. However, we can only chalk this up to a rumor at this point in the process.
2. I personally don’t have any sourcing to add to this story. So again, it’s all speculation.
3. Avdija is projected to go way higher than No. 11, so it’d take a miracle for the silver and black to land him in the draft.

Deni Avdija had an in-person workout with the Spurs last week in Atlanta, according to sources.

Celtics do not have any plans for an in-person workout with Avdija at this point, for those wondering.

— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) November 2, 2020

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Now that we’ve got that out of the way, Chris Greenham of Forbes Sports tweeted on Monday that the San Antonio Spurs held an in-person workout with Israeli prospect Deni Avdija. Once an under-the-radar commodity without much of a following to his name, Avdija has become a highly-touted prospect whose been linked to the Golden State Warriors at No. 2. It could all be smoke and mirrors, but there’s serious potential for his fit with the Spurs franchise.

A 6-foot-9 forward who could play and defend multiple positions, Avdija is a skilled player with fantastic passing instincts, defensive versatility and underrated handles. He makes an incredible fit for the Spurs’ young core as a small forward with excellent size and physicality. He moves relatively swiftly, which helps out on defense, and his ability as a secondary playmaker would be transformative for San Antonio’s young players.

If the rumor is true, it may suggest the Spurs are willing to trade up to get Avdija. This would be an incredible revelation that would be celebrated by the fanbase so long as they don’t give up too much to get him. Moving the young core (Dejounte, Derrick, Lonnie, Keldon and Luka) is off the table, in my opinion. However, it’s possible for the Spurs to trade someone like LaMarcus Aldridge along with the pick to jump into the upper portion of the NBA Draft.

I could easily see Golden State taking Aldridge and 11 for the 2nd pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, just as one example.