Air Alamo Staff Grades 3 Proposed San Antonio Spurs Trades

The San Antonio Spurs have plenty of talent to go around, and other teams will likely want some of their young pieces fairly soon. Sitting at 8-13 riding a four-game winning streak, there's a decent chance they'll at least make a move by the February 10th deadline, even if it would likely be minor.

On December 15th, several newly signed players across the league will be eligible to be traded, including the following Spurs: Keita Bates-Diop, Zach Collins, Bryn Forbes, Jock Landale, and Doug McDermott.

While the trade action around the NBA probably won't pick up until around then, the trade proposals have already begun. For now, we haven't seen anything of substance to hint at specific moves the Spurs make, but the Air Alamo staff recently gave their opinions on some trades involving them to get an idea about if they're even worth entertaining.

In proposing a trade idea for every contender in the league, Bleacher Report had three deals that involved the Spurs in their 10 proposals. Our panel of six broke down each one, and I'll give my personal takes as well. Let's get started with a trade we've already discussed back in September.

In a September report, Shams Charania singled out the Phoenix Suns as suitors for Thaddeus Young, which we wrote about in detail previously. At around the same time, rumors were circulating that Jalen Smith could be made available in such a trade, but nothing has materialized yet.

While not getting much playing time, Young has been impressive when he does see the court, frequently acting as facilitator and intangibles guy. It wouldn't be a surprise to see multiple contenders make offers for his services, especially ones that might need that one piece to take them over the top.

Here's what some of the panel had to say about this proposal:

Jonah Kubicek: "Jalen Smith might develop into a nice young player, Dario Saric is a functional big, and picks are always nice. Plus, it would be good to see Thad win a ring"

Ethan Farina: "Smith hasn’t shown anything so far, Saric just tore his ACL and second round picks don’t move the needle."

Cal Durrett: "I was initially high on the rumored trade but Jalen Smith having his third-year option declined less than 2 years after being selected 10th is a big red flag. Saric is good but he'll be returning from a torn ACL, and it usually takes a full season before returning players begin to play like themselves. That means that the Spurs might only be able to flip him for another second later on. Also, the Suns' second is likely going to be in the late 50s. The Spurs should be able to do better."

As for me, this trade gets a solid B. I think the potential for Smith is there and and always a fan of this organization getting more picks, even if they're likely to be very late in the draft. Still, Saric's torn ACL and the fact that the Spurs might be able to do better gives me some pause.

Individual Grades: A, B, B, A, D, B

Average grade: B