The San Antonio Spurs have suddenly become a major trading destination ahead of the NBA Draft. After being linked to Kevin Durant in recent trade chatter, the Spurs may also be in a position to acquire Celtics star Jaylen Brown in return for their No. 2 draft pick this year.
The Spurs boast some of the most powerful assets heading into the offseason. With the No. 2 and No. 14 picks at their disposal, along with ample cap space, the organization is primed to make a run at acquiring superstars.
By developing their young core, the team has already put itself in a solid position to compete. The trio of Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle makes for a competent unit as it stands. But, as per Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, the Spurs could look to get even stronger by leveraging their No. 2 pick in a deal with the Celtics.
Mannix mentioned this when he appeared on NBC Sports Boston. He began by addressing why the team wouldn’t do a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has garnered attention from San Antonio, primarily because of the concept of a “title window” plaguing the team.
“You’ve got De’Aaron Fox, who’s in his late 20s, Giannis in his early 30s, and the last thing they want is to have a roster after those guys kind of age out where when (Victor) Wembanyama is maybe looking around going, ‘All right, where are the young guys I’m going to play with after that?’”
While dissecting this aspect and suggesting the Spurs will hold onto Castle, Mannix instead floated an interesting idea in a trade with Boston. He said:
“I think if you’re Boston, you’re not going to ask for a Stephon Castle. You’re not going to get a Stephon Castle in a potential Jaylen Brown deal. You [Boston] would get the No. 2 pick back in return. You would get the Devin Vassells, the Keldon Johnsons, future first-round capital. That’s something I’d watch if and when the Giannis Antetokounmpo stuff shakes itself out over the next few weeks.”
While suggesting that the heat around the Antetokounmpo trade rumors would die down over the next few weeks, Mannix presented an interesting opportunity for the Spurs to target the Celtics’ star player.
The notion of having Brown join the Spurs is certainly an interesting one, for which we have formulated a potential trade package. The former Finals MVP has been one of Boston’s best players. Last season, he notched an average of 22.2 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 46.3% from the floor and putting in some stellar defensive work as well.
The 28-year-old also creates a timeline issue with the Spurs, as Mannix mentioned for Antetokounmpo. However, a potential three-guard lineup with Fox, Brown, and Castle, alongside Wembanyama anchoring the defense, makes for a terrifying unit. In many ways, this has the makings of a title-contending team.
Meanwhile, the Celtics would find themselves restructuring from the ground up. Boston’s issues with cap space are only exacerbated by Jayson Tatum’s absence due to injury. While their efforts to shed salary via trades may yield some results, they may not be as fruitful as this deal with the Spurs.
Dylan Harper has been touted as a potential franchise cornerstone with the No. 2 pick. While the loss of Brown would undoubtedly be excruciating, the Celtics’ need to recover cap space is a greater concern that needs addressing.
Although the Spurs may still commit to Harper, it is clear that what Brown brings to the table may be too good to pass up. With additional possibilities of building a star-studded roster owing to their ample cap space, all eyes will be on San Antonio ahead of the NBA draft.
