3 Spurs players who desperately need to shape up or be shipped out

With rumors that the San Antonio Spurs are scouring the market, they have several players on the roster who are at risk of being traded. There is still plenty of time between now and the trade deadline, giving three players more time to perform to risk being traded.

3) Tre Jones

Backup point guard Tre Jones has been in and out of the lineup due to injury, and when he's played, he has been fine but far from irreplaceable. With him in the final season of his contract, he is playing for his next deal, and it's possible that he won't be back in San Antonio next season. Particularly if the third-string guard Blake Wesley shows improvement, both as a shooter and as a passer.

Wesley's defensive chops also make him worthy of a shot at backup, and he and Castle playing together more would be a nightmare for opposing backcourts. As is, Jones has done little to change people's minds about him. When healthy, he is a solid point guard who is terrific at distributing without making careless mistakes.

However, his lack of shooting makes him an awkward fit in most lineups, especially with the Spurs, who already have a significant lack of shooting in the second unit. Wesley isn't better in that regard, but he's younger than Jones, allowing more room for development, and the motor he brings is deserving of more playing time.

If Jones doesn't show more ahead of the trade deadline, then the Spurs should consider packaging him and perhaps another player on this list in a deal for a better player.

2) Keldon Johnson

Longtime Spurs forward Keldon Johnson is a fan favorite due to his aggressive drives to the basket and animated demeanor. That being said, for every great game that he has where he is able to muscle his way to the basket or knock down rainbow threes, there are others where he is missing in action.

Sometimes the driving lanes just don't open, and his shot from outside doesn't fall, or he even hesitates to take them entirely. When he's on, he can help swing the momentum in the Spurs' favor, but that doesn't happen nearly as much as perhaps it should for a sixth man.

San Antonio doesn't necessarily need Johnson to be the next Manu Ginobili, but they need him to be a bit more consistent if they want to emerge as a playoff team. With him making around $20 million and the team in need of more shooting, he makes sense as a trade chip for the Spurs if he doesn't improve.

1) Zach Collins

Watching backup center Zach Collins play this year has been frustrating, to say the least. Part of the reason why is that he was a productive center for the Spurs just two seasons ago but has regressed in a major way since signing a two-year, $35 million extension that will pay him $17.5 million on average this season and next.

The least the Spurs fans expect from him is for him to play well—not good or great—in his limited minutes, but he has failed to meet even that low bar.

His three-point shot comes and goes, his defense can be porous at times, and he hasn't shown the same passing ability or scoring ability in the paint that he did previously. That has led many Spurs fans to wonder if Charles Bassey would be a better option, and he has shown plenty of flashes this season.

He is a terrific rim protector and has good hands, allowing him to catch and finish around the basket. If Collins continues to play poorly, then the Spurs should bench him and look to trade him at the deadline.