San Antonio Spurs: Trading for Davis Bertans a slim but exciting possibility

With the trade deadline just days away, we’re all waiting to see what the San Antonio Spurs are going to do. San Antonio is historically uninvolved at the deadline but a combination of developments could change that this year.

The most well-known of these developments is the coming split of the Spurs and the biggest free-agent signee in franchise history, LaMarcus Aldridge. Gregg Popovich announced that the two had mutually agreed to part ways and while it does look like a buyout is more likely than a trade at this point, you can bet on Aldridge not being with the team by Friday.

Aldridge isn’t the only veteran who could be moved. Teams around the league have expressed interest in Rudy Gay and there is the possibility, however small, that DeMar DeRozan could be moved as well.

If the Spurs want to be buyers rather than sellers there are several interesting ways they could make that happen, including a possible reunion with an old fan favorite.

San Antonio Spurs need to do their due diligence on trade for Davis Bertans

Quinton Mayo, a reporting covering the Washington Wizards, recently revealed that the Wizards have made Davis Bertans available to a few other teams. Here’s what Mayo had to say about the situation.

“The organization took a small stride recently by making Davis Bertans available in trade talks with select teams, but not to much avail as his 2020-21 campaign, loaded with poor conditioning, shooting woes, and now a nagging calf injury, have decreased his value league-wide in the first year of his five-year/$80 million contact.”

Bertans has been having a down year. One of the best shooters in the league last year, Bertans has struggled to stay on the court and has seen his three-point shooting percentage dip from 42 percent to 38 percent. Now to be fair, 38 percent from deep is still solid. But you don’t shell out $80 million for that.

Bertans would fit well with this San Antonio Spurs group. With defenders like Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell coming into their own his defensive lapses wouldn’t be as big of an issue. And it’s easy to see how he could thrive in a bench role, coming into the game and firing away with a Patty Mills type green light.

His contract is a bit of an issue. It’s a lot of money to pay for a shooter but when he’s on Bertans is one of the best in the league. And it’s not as if the Spurs don’t have the salary cap room to pay him. They’re going to have some of the most cap space in the league soon and if we’re being honest with ourselves they’re unlikely to spend that on landing a marquee free agent.

The biggest hurdle in trading for Bertans could be the Spurs’ hesitancy to include the picks Washington would surely want in return. San Antonio can take on his salary by sending Rudy Gay’s expiring contract to the Wizards but would they want to throw in a future first-round pick or two to pique the Wizards’ interest? Maybe, but this is a team that is incredibly hesitant to trade away draft picks. And with their track record of drafting and developing talent over the past few seasons, it’s easy to see why.

I’m not saying the San Antonio Spurs need to move heaven and earth to get him. But if the Wizards are willing to part ways with Davis Bertans the Spurs should at least kick the tires on what it would cost to make a reunion happen.