Spurs still need to address 1 obvious thing after DeRozan-Barnes deal
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The Spurs general manager has been busy this offseason. It's a delight to see the fans showering Brian Wright with praise because he has been under fire for a while now. Patience has always been a virtue, but in sports, your career can be compromised by waiting too long to get aggressive. It's not just the fans; the owners get impatient. They demand quick results, often resulting in rushed decisions that hurt the franchise long term. Thankfully, San Antonio doesn't operate that way.
The owners give their staff time to develop and execute a vision. They have been doing that and it led to drafting Victor Wembanyama last summer. They followed that up by adding Stephon Castle through the draft, Chris Paul in free agency to guide the young guys and Harrison Barnes by trade while giving up absolutely nothing. Brian Wright has made significant moves to improve this roster, but there is one more move they need to consider before rubber-stamping this offseason as a success.
It's time for the Spurs to trade Keldon Johnson
San Antonio has reportedly renounced the rights of Julian Champagnie, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Dominick Barlow and David Duke Jr. Last season, Champagnie was a starter and by the end of the year, Mamu was getting regular minutes in the rotation. While the front office has made great moves to bolster the squad, they still need to add more depth, and because of his age and affordable contract, Keldon Johnson is still the best piece to use to accomplish that task.
The starting lineup could be any combination of Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama. The defense was an issue when Wemby went to the bench last season, so that needs to be handled. Inserting Tre Jones back into a reserve role will help, but there needs to be another player or two who can knock down an open three with consistency.
There are shooters on the open market who could fit the role, like Isaac Okoro or Haywood Highsmith, but San Antonio would still need to make space for them, so moving Johnson for more draft capital could be another option. Either way, this team entered the offseason needing a lot of work, and the work isn't done. Nobody expects the Spurs to turn into a championship contender in one offseason, but some moves can be made now, and Wright has the firepower to get them done.
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