The San Antonio Spurs were once a dynasty but after the retirement of most of that core and the departure of All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, they're now a bottom-of-the-barrel team. One whose relevance is tied far more into their past accomplishments than present state.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was expected to retire when the dynasty run came to an end.
However, the 74-year-old seems to have caught a second wind during San Antonio's rebuild. Completely invested in both the franchise and his team, the Spurs president isn't done just yet.
Pop on when he knows it'll be time to retire; "I think a little voice in my head will tell me, 'That’s enough.' If I’m tired of telling somebody, ‘Why are you getting beat backdoor so much? Can you please stay in front of somebody?’…When I stop wanting to do that, I will know."
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) January 2, 2023
Nonetheless, just because they can weather the storm under Pop, it doesn't mean that he doesn't want to return to the mountaintop.
Popovich aside, the Spurs' organization as a whole should be too used to winning to even consider another season at the bottom of the NBA standings.
Fortunately, at 19-58, San Antonio has as good a chance of any to draft Metropolitans 92 power forward Victor Wembanyama. An excellent athlete with guard skills at 7-foot-4 (without shoes), Wembanyama may be the next Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, or Kevin Garnett in his ability to dominate the game with both skill and unique physical talents.
For the Spurs, specifically, he may be the next Tim Duncan or David Robinson. Duncan and Robinson both spearheaded the Spurs during their powerhouse and dynasty years.
Though Popovich had more of a hand in Duncan's development than Robinson, his experience in developing frontcourt players has Wemby and the Spurs looking like the perfect match.
However, while they should do just about everything in their power to draft Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft, there's another move that they have to make that's just as important.
Here's one perfect trade the Spurs must make in the 2023 offseason.
1 perfect trade Spurs must complete in 2023 offseason
It has to be said.
Due to the potential that Wembanyama possesses and the rarity of finding a prospect with bonafide Hall of Fame potential, the Spurs may not end up drafting Wembanyama. If they get anything but the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the team ahead of them may opt to keep the Frenchman rather than hope that their return for him — likely future draft prospects — can be as good as him.
Not that the upcoming drafts don't project to have All-Star talent. Just not a player that's as highly touted and uniquely talented as Wembanyama.
With that in mind, the Spurs still need to make themselves competitive in the future.
There may no better way to do that then to trade Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins and draft compensation to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns.
While the Timberwolves can look forward to having young talent to build around new face of the franchise Anthony Edwards, they will also be addressing two of their major weaknesses: 3-point shooting and defensive inconsistency.
For his part, Collins can play both power forward and center. With his ability to stretch the floor, he provides a nice complement to a player restricted to the restricted area in Rudy Gobert.
Meanwhile, though the Spurs lose two valuable defenders and their starting center, they replace them with a player who not only dominate in the frontcourt should the Spurs miss out on Wembanyama.
What if the Spurs still get Wembanyama?
Towns is also a player that relieves the immediate pressure on Wemby to excel and who can help mentor him as well. On-the-court, though both players prefer playing power forward, there will be instances in which its best for the team or them individually to hold down the position at center.
In that event, the older and more physically developed Towns may be the nominal starting center. Especially as Wembanyama is a more fluid athlete and is a bigger threat to make impact defensive plays when offering help.
Furthermore, in terms of intangibles, it's difficult to see Popovich not taking to KAT as a person. A player with a low-maintenance attitude and a positive outlook on life, his clean-cut personality is simply the right fit for the culture that the Spurs have fought to build and maintain for over two decades.
When the dust settles, the hope will be that the Spurs acquired Wembanyama in the draft and Anthony-Towns via trade.
In that event, San Antonio would likely start Malaki Branham and Jeremy Sochan as well, given their development over the course of the season. That quartet could find themselves joined by a point guard as well. With over $30 million in projected cap space next offseason there are plenty that could join the roster.
If so, it could be the feisty Fred VanVleet, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason if he declines his 2023-24 player option with the Toronto Raptors.
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