San Antonio faces a pivotal crossroads: sacrifice their ascending young core for a prolific scoring threat or trust the homegrown stars who just fueled a Finals run.
The San Antonio Spurs, fresh off an NBA Finals appearance - albeit a loss to the New York Knicks - are suddenly a power player in the NBA.
They have talent ... and enough flexibility to add more of it.
So now comes a flood of ideas on how to get better, faster.
The Spurs, in past months, were linked to the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant, but opted to stand pat, instead seeing just how far their young core could go.
As it turns out, they made the NBA Finals, all with a mostly young, inexperienced roster. ... and with a confidence inside the Victor Wembanyama-led locker room that they have the inside track on a return next year and beyond.
But what about a new churn of that NBA rumor mill?
Mock Trade Sends Donovan Mitchell to Spurs
After the Cleveland Cavaliers got swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, it's clear that the franchise is due for a shake-up.
Trading the talented (but clownish) James Harden would be a good place to start, although his value around the league is almost as low as it was when he forced his way out of Philadelphia.
Another concept: If the Cavs want to extract maximum value, maybe they take bids on Donovan Mitchell?
We've seen a suggestion that the Spurs move Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell to Cleveland in exchange for Mitchell.
Granted, Mitchell is a top player in the NBA, and he averaged 27.9 points this season. Team him with Wemby and De'Aaron Fox and San Antonio has a sort of "Big 3.''
But we'd like to think Harper is on track to be "a top NBA player,'' too. ... and that Vassell being attached as salary filler is a give-away.
And then there is the Harper vs. Fox debate in the Spurs backcourt. Isn't Fox - not Harper - the guy the Spurs might like to move?
The long-term plan in San Antonio is clear: have Wemby, Castle, and Harper lead the way, supplementing the lineup with wings and forwards along the way. Blowing up a crucial part of that for Mitchell, who despite the fat numbers has never proven himself as a winning player, seems to go against what the Spurs as a franchise have traditionally valued.
The trick here for San Antonio is to retain the youthful core while adding a stud. This idea screws up the first part of that and offers no guarantees with the second part.
