Spurs rumors: San Antonio shopping DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge

There are rumblings that the Spurs are reportedly dangling star players DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge in trade talks ahead of the trade deadline.

The San Antonio Spurs currently sit at sixth in the loaded Western Conference with a 16-12 record. Despite their standing, there are rumblings that the team is reportedly dangling star players DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge in trade talks ahead of the March 25th trade deadline.

During an episode of ESPN's The Jump, as the panel discussed potential buyers and sellers over the next month, Marc Spears reportedly heard around league officials that San Antonio is considering parting ways with veterans DeRozan and Aldridge.

Via Jeff Garcia of News 4 San Antonio:

“Another name is San Antonio, is kind of surprising” Spears said. “LaMarcus Aldridge's name has been bandied about. Also, a little bit I'm hearing is DeMar DeRozan.”

We're exactly a month away from the NBA trade deadline, so we went hot stove with @ZachLowe_NBA, @MarcJSpears and @RamonaShelburne to find out the most likely buyers, sellers and buyout candidates to look for over the next few weeks: pic.twitter.com/AMDJMsHkah

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 26, 2021

This is certainly a surprising rumor, considering the Spurs have done a marvelous job thus far of bouncing back from missing the postseason as season ago.

However, it's also easy to see why San Antonio could potentially part ways with DeRozan and Aldridge despite their successful campaign. Both of their contracts will expire at season's end. The Spurs could very well end up not getting anything in return should the two former All-Stars decide to walk away in the off-season.

DeRozan and Aldridge have shown that they are still elite contributors at this stage of their careers. While they currently find themselves in the thick of the playoff race, the Spurs aren't considered as legitimate championship contenders and it's highly unlikely that they can win a title with DeRozan and Aldridge as their two main stars.

Disrupting their great chemistry by trading away two leaders would not be the smartest thing to do in the short-term. Nonetheless, for a middle of the pack franchise like the Spurs, they must consider all of their options and identify the best course of action for the team in the long run.