The San Antonio Spurs haven’t picked in the top 10 in the NBA draft in 20 years, but it appears the organization is hoping to change that Thursday.
According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, the Spurs have made LaMarcus Aldridge available for a trade in hopes of moving up in the draft.
#Spurs said to be dangling LaMarcus Aldridge in hopes of landing top-10 draft pick. "Watch out for the #Kings," one exec tells AmicoHoops.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) June 22, 2017
It would make sense if San Antonio reached out to Sacramento about a possible trade. The Kings own both the No. 5 and No. 10 picks in Thursday’s draft, and could be willing to part with one of the selections for the right price.
The risk with trading for Aldridge, though, is he could just be a rental player. The big man is on the hook for $21.4 million next season, and has a player option for the 2018-19 campaign, in which he’d be owed $22.3 million.
Not to mention, Aldridge’s numbers steadily have declined since he made the transition from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Spurs. He’ll also turn 32 on July 19, making him not as attractive of a trade chip as he used to be.
And Aldridge is just one of seven players on San Antonio’s current roster age 30 or older. The Spurs do have a few bright young players in Kawhi Leonard, Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson, but the team still has a pressing need to get younger.
With that said, the Spurs typically find a way to hit a home run in the draft, regardless of where they pick. But if Gregg Popovich and Co. somehow can get their hands on a top-10 selection, you’d have to expect they nab another franchise talent.
Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
