The San Antonio Spurs are expected to be busy players before the NBA trade deadline, with ample assets they could move on from. One report suggests the Spurs might make a deal with the New York Knicks.
The San Antonio Spurs have more than enough trade assets to make a midseason deal, and they have ample expiring contracts in Kelly Olynyk and Harrison Barnes to match salary, should a rebuilding team not want to take on a long-term contract.
As Mitch Johnson continues to install his own rotations and lineups on a post-Gregg Popovich Spurs team, Jeremy Sochan is the odd man out. He is averaging a career-low 14 minutes per game and seems to no longer be a key piece of the Spurs' rebuild and future vision.
As Sochan prepares for restricted free agency, there is a possibility that he will get traded, and a contending team has emerged as a suitor.
Knicks Have Interest in Jeremy Sochan
As the Knicks continue to move on from Tom Thibodeau, building out a usable bench unit has been a priority. This summer, the Knicks added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele. Clarkson has remained an excellent bench scorer, although Yabusele, like Sochan, has fallen out of the rotation.
Wembanyama and Yabusele are teammates on the French National Team, so a straight-up swap could make some sense, provided the Knicks include some degree of draft capital.
Of course, the Knicks might want to make a splashier move. If that were the case, the Spurs should be interested in taking on either OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges, who are signed to massive deals but would both be long-term upgrades on the wing. Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie are adequate shooters, although neither of them presents much consistency.
If the Spurs were willing to refill New York's draft coffers, which were emptied in the deal with the Nets for Bridges, they might be able to walk away with a star in exchange for Sochan and other assets. As the Spurs continue to build around Wembanyama, the point guard and frontcourt depth problems have been solved, although the team remains weak at the wings.
San Antonio has been linked to Trey Murphy III and Lauri Markkanen, and now the Knicks seem to be a dark-horse trade partner, as well. It's good to have options.