Spurs must strike while the iron is hot in trade market before the deadline

ESPN's Brian Windhorst spoke recently on San Antonio's contracts and what they could decide to do with them. The Spurs may have a nicely put-together roster right now, but the considerations on what happens next never stop for analysts or front offices—unless they suck, of course.

"The Spurs have some big expiring contracts on their roster... They can go shopping." - Windhorst

Brian Wright has a couple of sizable contracts on the roster he could look to do something with before the end of the season. As Windy points out, Harrison Barnes and Kelly Olynyk's contracts combined equal a total of about $32 million, and they're both expiring. So the question becomes, do you let them walk in free agency next season, or do you move them at the deadline to recoup assets?

I think the answer isn't necessarily clear, and so you'd have to say that it depends on the circumstances of the season.

The Spurs' success could determine if they make those trades

Wright hasn't been perfect during his tenure as the President of Basketball Operations in San Antonio, but it's fair to say that he's been on a roll lately. The contracts they have are very team-friendly, movable, or just plain fair value, like the one he just signed De'Aaron Fox to.

Barnes has brought immense value to the Spurs. The team desperately needed a reliable outside sniper. Before his arrival, whether the Silver and Black would make a three or not was as unpredictable as lottery numbers with the same level of success as one has when playing the Powerball: not very high.

It would be nice to retain him, and I'd imagine they'd try to keep him on the roster at a favorable price if he were willing to take a pay cut to avoid moving again. The Spurs are on their way up, so after spending all that time in Sacramento, HB would be happy to accept a team-friendly deal to stay on a team on the come-up.

The same goes for Kelly Olynyk. The 7'0" Canadian shoots over 40% from deep, so if he'd also accept a cheaper deal, I could see them re-signing the 12-year vet. But the season would have to go off without a hitch. If all the pieces fit and San Antonio is winning games at a high rate, there would be no reason to move either of those guys.

At the very least, you'd want to play out the season and see what happens. If the Silver and Black are playing well and you make a trade, you risk upsetting the apple cart. You don't want to throw off the team's chemistry.

However, if the team is underperforming, it's easy to see them looking for answers and turning to the trade market to make changes. Whether that's just to shed cap to so they can be aggressive in the offseason or trying to salvage the year by bringing in someone else, their moves would be justified.