Rumors abound that the San Antonio Spurs are looking to move up in the 2016 NBA Draft. Could the Utah Jazz be their trade partner?
The 2016 NBA draft will be held on June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Utah Jazz have a late lottery selection at No. 12, while the San Antonio Spurs are slated to pick at the back-end of the first round at No. 29.
Is there a scenario where the teams could potentially make a deal? More than one hoops pundit would say yes.
The Jazz are in a position where they could look to trade their selection and possibly shore up an area of need with a veteran player or move back while acquiring additional assets. According to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News, general manager Dennis Lindsey has fielded calls from multiple teams about their pick.
I've heard multiple teams have contacted the Jazz about their No. 12 pick. Wonder if the Spurs are one of them. https://t.co/qmxee2tdla
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) June 19, 2016
The Jazz have a clear need to find either shooting and/or perimeter defense. There’s also the thought that they could use a veteran point guard presence.
Meanwhile, with David West deliberating his future, Tim Duncan gracefully nearing his retirement and Boris Diaw rumored to be on the trading block, the Spurs need a big man.
According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, San Antonio is actively looking to move up in the draft. Incidentally, they could have their eyes on Utah’s pick.
The San Antonio Spurs have explored moving up in the first round of the draft, per sources. They currently have the No. 29 pick.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 9, 2016
Asked on Twitter about this quest for a higher selection, Steve Kyler mentioned Utah’s No. 12 pick specifically when discussing what he had heard from sources around the league.
Was told they would like to move up in the draft and have sniffed around the 6 and the 12 https://t.co/bpi0kmzYAQ
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 18, 2016
Deyonta Davis is a prospect who could be a fit with the Spurs. He can play both the power forward and center positions and could be a realistic target for them if they move up the draft. Davis is a defensive stud, who was a prolific shot blocker at Michigan; It makes complete sense for the Spurs to pair Davis with LaMarcus Aldridge.
Other big men that could be available in Utah’s draft range include Jakob Poeltl, Henry Ellenson and Domantas Sabonis.
The Spurs could do this cheaply. With the salary cap skyrocketing, several teams can absorb Diaw’s contract, along with a couple of picks for a lottery selection.
While Sam Hinkie isn’t around anymore, some teams like to stockpile draft picks in a mediocre draft. GMs might be willing to trade lottery picks on Thursday because of the deep, yet top heavy nature draft, coupled with the fact that multiple teams have more than one pick in the first round.
Conventional wisdom says that it might take more than Diaw and the Spurs’ 29th pick to get a lottery pick. Teams may be pushing for players like Danny Green and/or Patty Mills.
Enter the Utah Jazz.
Even before Dennis Lindsey came on board, the Spurs have had good connection with the Jazz. In this league, relationships are everything and we can trust Lindsey to do the best for Jazz, while maintaining his relationships with other front offices.
The Jazz can go multiple ways in the draft. However, one of the downsides for a team having top young talent is that the agents do not want their clients to be drafted by that squad. The only projected top 10 talent to work out for them was Davis, whom the reportedly Jazz loved.
This draft is thin on wing players and the Jazz need wings; the big man rotation is solid. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they wouldn’t pull the trigger on a player like Davis. Sometimes, the draft is all about character and match for the organization; often times it’s as simple as who the best player available might be.
I am going to go with a gut feeling and say that Jazz keep the pick. They might even draft Davis if he is still on the board at 12. You cannot have enough big men in this league. A defensive rotation of Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, Deyonta Davis and Jeff Withey could be a nightmare for naive opponents venturing in the paint.
For the three-and-D player need, the Jazz may just look at overpaying a veteran wing player, who will not push to start and will be happy to come off the bench.
Next: NBA TV Analyst Stu Jackson Talks State of the Utah Jazz
Of course, all will be revealed this Thursday night. What do you fans think the Jazz will do? Let us know!