Specific move Spurs have to make at the trade deadline is more obvious than ever

Zach Collins left the Pelicans game in the first half due to a back injury after a scary fall near the basket. There's no update on his status right now, and the hope, as always, is for him to be okay. You never want to see a player injured. With that being said, it's time for the Spurs to accelerate the timeline for a trade for the big man from Gonzaga.

The Collins era in San Antonio needs to come to a swift end as you can no longer justify his playing time over the other bigs on the team, and he makes too much money to ride the bench with "DNP" (Did not play) designations.

This isn't just about the energy Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili bring anymore. Zach's production has plummeted, and the front office should look to trade him before he further erodes his value.

Bassey and Mamu have earned more time

When Zach Collins enters the game, there's not much excitement compared to Mamu and Bassey. You expect Mamu to give the offense a jolt with his energy—crashing offensive boards, making intelligent reads, and cutting with purpose.

Everyone expects Sandro to knock down his first bucket when he enters the game. Even the Spurs' broadcasters Jacob Tobey and Sean Elliott are aware of his uncanny ability to pull this off. His defense isn't perfect, but the effort is there, and with the right lineups, he's a better option than Zach.

Bassey solidifies the defense, turning away would-be bucket-getters left and right with his athleticism and power. He's played in 15 games this season and blocked at least three shots in four of them. He's had games with four and six blocks. Collins hasn't had a game with four blocked shots since 2022.

There's something to be said for the shots he doesn't block, too. Bassey will challenge guys at the rim, causing errant attempts that don't show up in the stat sheet.

It would be nice to have one player who could do both things, and that's what Collins was supposed to be but he hasn't been close to the deterrent Bassey is, and his offensive production has collapsed in recent weeks. After starting the season shooting 50% from three—one of his biggest focuses in the off-season—the backup center's 3-point percentage has dipped to 33%.

He's only hit two of his last 16 attempts from long-range. Collins has seen his minutes decrease to 14.2 per night. Some of that is due to Wembanyama's increased minutes, but the other part of it is more directly tied to Zach's output, and it's lacking.