The San Antonio Spurs were the most dominant team in the Western Conference this past season, knocking off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014.
Of course, they would run into an absolute buzzsaw, the New York Knicks, in the championship series, and fall in a gentleman’s sweep.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, the future is bright in San Antonio considering how young their core is and how high the ceiling is for players like Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle.
But it may not be enough to put the Spurs over the top in their quest for an NBA title next season, and they could certainly use another injection of experienced, veteran talent to get them closer to a championship.
Aaron Gordon Realistic Trade Target For Spurs
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley put together a list of “realistic trade targets” for NBA teams this offseason, and one that stuck out for the San Antonio Spurs is Denver Nuggets power forward Aaron Gordon.
The Nuggets are in a bind this offseason, trying to figure out a way to retool their roster into a championship contender while staying under the second apron.
Denver is still trying to re-sign free agent forward Peyton Watson, and it would be a lot easier if they could get Gordon’s contract off their books.
“It’s a little too easy to sound hyperbolic regarding Gordon’s trade value, because just about every win-now shopper with the capacity to add him is probably considering it. He looms as a possible one-stop fix for a wide array of defensive issues, and he is a versatile support piece who plays within his limits on offense,” wrote Buckley.
“He is also a 30-year-old (31 in September) role player who’s had trouble staying on the floor, so Denver can’t exactly demand blank-check compensation in return. Still, his versatility, willingness to execute a role and big-stage postseason experience are all major marks in his favor.”
Considering Gordon’s age and salary, he may be a relatively easy acquisition for the Spurs to land.
Not only would he be a splash for San Antonio, but he would also fill several needs that reared their ugly head in the NBA Finals.
Aaron Gordon Would Solve Major Spurs Issues
During their NBA Finals loss to the New York Knicks, a few problems became abundantly clear on the San Antonio Spurs roster.
They were severely lacking on the interior of their defense when Wembanyama was on the bench, or stuck guarding on the perimeter.
At 6-foot-8, Gordon could provide some much-needed defense in the paint.
Over the last few years of his career in Denver, Gordon has also seemingly developed into a consistent perimeter shooting threat, something the Spurs lacked in the Finals.
Despite being a career 33.5% three-point shooter, the former first-round pick has shot 43.6% and 38.9% over the last two seasons.
That would certainly help a San Antonio team that only managed to shoot 33.9% from three in the biggest series of their young careers.
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