Grade the Mock Trade: Spurs take gamble on guard for long-term payoff

The seemingly everlasting offseason is almost over, and basketball fans can rejoice as teams across the league are one week from starting training camp and kicking off their preseason schedule. While the San Antonio Spurs have spent the last four seasons near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, several shrewd transactions and a stroke of luck in the Draft Lottery sent their rebuild into overdrive this summer.

Selecting Victor Wembanyama with the number one overall pick supplied the Silver and Black with a generational cornerstone, and the front office bolstered their rotation with smaller trades for reliable veterans like Reggie Bullock and Cedi Osman. This young club likely lacks the experience, chemistry, and personnel to sneak back into the playoff picture, but they are more than talented enough to give anyone a run for their money.

San Antonio must cut two players and finalize their roster before the season begins, and a handful of familiar faces could soon become the odd man out. Though Khem Birch, Devonte' Graham, and Cedi Osman seem like the most realistic candidates to get the boot from Brian Wright, there will no doubt be multiple airtight positional battles that decide who gets to come along for the ride during the first year of the Wembanyama experience.

The Spurs will have to say goodbye to some serviceable contributors, but is there a chance for them to turn one of their expendable pieces into a valuable asset? That answer might be yes after a recent article from Bleacher Report suggested San Antonio should gamble on a last-second deal that could yield massive benefits for the long-term outlook of their backcourt.

Laying Out The Trade

The details of the hypothetical trade in question are straightforward. San Antonio would reunite Doug McDermott with the Bulls in exchange for Lonzo Ball and a future second-round pick. While this move would be a relatively risky proposition for the Spurs, it has the potential to pay dividends for everyone involved.

Doug McDermott is one of the best marksmen in the NBA, and he was crucial in creating functional spacing for a team that ranked 26th in three-point percentage last season. No one can replicate his blend of elite off-ball movement and extraordinary balance running around screens to manufacture wide-open looks from beyond the arc. However, his porous man-to-man defense often negated the impact he made on the offensive end.

Shipping McDermott to Chicago means the Spurs lose their most versatile shooter, but the additions of Reggie Bullock and Cedi Osman should make his absence palatable. The veteran forwards made a respectable 37.7% of their combined 709 three-point attempts last season, and they can drain shots sprinting in transition, relocating to the corner, and spotting up above the break. Bullock also offers a massive upgrade as an effective perimeter defender.

Would The Spurs Say Yes?

Lonzo Ball has been the unfortunate victim of a minor meniscus tear that has spiraled from a routine arthroscopic procedure into a career-threatening injury after numerous complications have derailed his recovery. The 25-year-old has been out of commission since his initial diagnosis in 2022, and the situation only became more bleak when Shams Charania reported he might miss all of the upcoming season following a third surgery on his left knee.

Despite his circumstances, Ball was one of the most productive two-way players in the league before landing on the sidelines, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in his first go-round with the Bulls. Not only did Lonzo cover the best scorers while setting the table for Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan on a nightly basis, but he also nailed an astonishing 42.3% of his 260 three-point attempts through 35 appearances.

Gregg Popovich is trying to create a team full of positionless playmakers and switchable defenders, and Ball fits the bill. Forking over roughly $20 million for someone who might not return to the court until 2024 sounds ludicrous. But the disabled player exception would grant the Spurs permission to sign a Lonzo replacement for one season at half the rate of his annual salary while overseeing every last step of his rehab process.

Is there a possibility that Lonzo Ball fails to return to form after sitting out for over two seasons? Sure, but if there are no more obstacles in his comeback, the 6-foot-6 guard could be a perfect fit with San Antonio as a connective tissue facilitator, three-point shooter, and lockdown defender. And the future second-rounder from Chicago makes it worth it for the Spurs to pick up the phone and consider this theoretical trade proposal.

Grade: B-