Spurs can finally move Tre Jones and solve center woes with one genius trade

The middling San Antonio Spurs are in need of a shakeup after recent losses have hurt their playoff chances. That should have Spurs GM Brian Wright manning the phones for a trade to help the team, and he could look to deal guard Tre Jones.

Jones has played much better as of late, with him seeking to push the pace and get the Spurs to play faster in the second unit. However, his lack of shooting, paired with Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson, and Zach Collins, has led to some ugly stretches of basketball.

The Spurs have tried to counteract that by playing Wembanyama for more minutes or by playing Vassell with the second unit. That is a decent option, but a more sustainable one is to trade for a backup center who can help them shore up their biggest positional weakness.

The Spurs simply haven't found an answer at backup center with Zach Collins failing to succeed in even a small role. As a result, the Spurs should look to upgrade at center, and that could mean that them moving on from Jones to do so.

The Spurs should trade Jones for Atlanta Hawks center Larry Nance Jr.

One option could be for them to trade Jones for Larry Nance Jr. The Hawks center has struggled to stay healthy this season, appearing in just 15 games, and is out for a couple of weeks with yet another injury. Still, when he has been healthy, he has been effective, averaging 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and shooting 52.2% on 3.3 3-point attempts per game, all while coming off the bench.

With the Hawks having plenty of frontcourt options, they may be open to trading him, and they could use a steady hand at backup point guard. Jones would be a clear upgrade at the position for the Hawks. A swap of the two players would help both teams, with Nance Jr. being able to slot behind Victor Wembanyama but having enough offensive skill and versatility to play the four.

His 3-point shooting is unsustainably high this season, but he is shooting them at a higher rate, and he's been around league average as a shooter over his career. That would likely make him a better fit in the second unit, with him being able to knock down open threes and defend multiple positions.

Solving their problem at backup center and carving out a much bigger role for Stephon Castle in one trade without having to give up picks would be a nice move for San Antonio. The Spurs should jump at the chance to trade for Nance Jr. if the opportunity comes along.