The San Antonio Spurs are in an unfamiliar situation with the NBA trade deadline looming.
Gregg Poppovich and crew own a mediocre 14-20 record and are in danger of missing out on postseason play for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign. With this in mind, it begs the question as to whether San Antonio should break up their aging core and officially begin a rebuild in order to avoid staying mediocre for the near future.
How The Spurs Can Move In The Right Direction
In order for the Spurs to move in this direction, the first step would be to trade their 34-year-old former All-Star, LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge has aged gracefully, despite his seniority compared to most of his opponents. He remains productive and has continued to put up All-Star caliber stats throughout his 30's.
This season, he is averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 boards, and 2.4 assists in 33 minutes per game. Aldridge is shooting 50.9 percent from the field, 45.1 percent from beyond the arc and 84.4 percent from the stripe. He could quite possibly be playing in the All-Star game once again come February. The Dallas native has been impressively consistent over the past decade, but his decline may be on the horizon. Ultimately, father time is undefeated.
For this reason, both the Spurs and Aldridge would benefit from splitting up. San Antonio should look to take advantage of his high trade value by dealing him before the Feb. 6 deadline. The Spurs have their fair share of young talent with Lonnie Walker, Derrick White, and Dejounte Murray. However, they lack a quintessential franchise talent.
Spurs Need a New No. 1 Option
In prior decades, eras of successful Spurs basketball occurred with a definitive best player leading the way. And thus San Antonio should look to deal Aldridge for a youngster with the potential to be the next great Spur. First, it was David Robinson, then Tim Duncan, followed by Kawhi Leonard.
It is time for the organization to prioritize adding to and developing their young core. Sticking with Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan will only lead to stagnation.
Both are superb offensive talents, but it is a fact that neither is talented enough to lead San Antonio to a ring now or in the future. It would understandably be disappointing to see the Spurs miss the playoffs. But if it means they could receive intriguing prospects in exchange for Aldridge, this may be a necessary evil in order for a brighter future.
The writing is on the wall for the Spurs to deal LaMarcus Aldridge. He achieved success with the Spurs, but a non-contending San Antonio team is not a compatible fit for either party.
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