The San Antonio Spurs are 3-0 against the defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, this season. The Spurs appear ready for a deep playoff run, though they have been linked to a potential roster upgrade at the trade deadline.
One of the rumored targets of the Spurs is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. However, NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported a couple of weeks ago that San Antonio might no longer be interested in pursuing the two-time MVP.
But what upgrade can the Spurs do before the trade deadline? They seem to have the Thunder’s number, but they followed their two wins against the defending champions with back-to-back losses to the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Trade Idea Sends Klay Thompson to Spurs
One of the biggest areas of improvement needed by the San Antonio Spurs is their shooting. They are currently ranked 16th in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 35.8%. They struggled from beyond the arc in their last two games, knocking down just 22.7% of their 75 attempts.
Dallas Hoops Journal’s Jake Rogers dropped a trade proposal that would send Klay Thompson to San Antonio. It’s not what some Spurs fans are expecting, but the team doesn’t need to do too much after what they did to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs are in an interesting position, like when the Thunder didn’t do anything during the 2023-24 NBA season. They rode out their roster back then before making some valuable moves in the 2024 offseason, which paid off and resulted in a championship.
But one move that could add shooting and veteran experience to the Spurs is the addition of Thompson, a four-time NBA champion and one of the greatest shooters ever.
Here’s the trade proposal to send Thompson to San Antonio:
Spurs receive: Klay Thompson and Dante Exum
Mavericks receive: Kelly Olynyk and Lindy Waters III
“For a Spurs team built around (Victor) Wembanyama’s interior dominance, Thompson’s shooting gravity creates cleaner driving lanes and reduces the load on young creators. Just as importantly, Thompson’s profile fits postseason basketball. He does not require on-ball usage, understands spacing and defensive rotations, and has more than 100 playoff games of experience,” Rogers wrote.
Exum’s addition is just salary filler since he’s already been ruled out of the season. As for the Dallas Mavericks, getting rid of Thompson’s contract takes them closer to a rebuild around Cooper Flagg.
Trey Murphy III Could Be Another Target
Bleacher Report’s Zack Buckley suggested a bigger trade for the San Antonio Spurs. Buckley had the Spurs going after Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Murphy is one of the best two-way players in the NBA today, and his contract at four years, $112 million is considered a bargain. He’s also better than Klay Thompson on both ends of the floor at this point in their careers.
However, Murphy doesn’t provide the experience that Thompson has for a potential playoff run. The Pelicans are also likely to demand more than a package consisting of a first-round pick, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson, which Buckley proposed.
If the Spurs add a knockdown shooter, it will open lanes for players like De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper to drive to the basket. Victor Wembanyama also gets an additional kickout target aside from Devin Vassell.
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