Spurs Trade for Kurt Thomas

B

Bravehorn

25+ Posts
The Spurs have traded Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and a No 1 for PF Kurt Thomas the ex-Horned Frog to fortify their interior.LINK
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Barry will be missed. I hope Thomas can come in a contribute quickly. He will definitely take some pressure off of Duncan.
 
With Gasol on the Lakers, and Shaq on the Suns, Thomas is someone who can guard those two, and let Timmy play his natural power forward position, and not have to guard the big guys.

Losing Barry kinda sucks, I loved his humor, but I think this trade helps them out.

GO SPURS GO!
 
Getting that No. 1 from Seattle could be a really big boost as well, especially considering they haven't had a whole lot of high picks of late.
 
A myopic move, IMO.

Though this will certainly make the Spurs a better team TODAY, it probably will cost them in the future. I don't see how an aging roleplayer like Thomas is worth two young roleplayers and the near-limitless potential of a first-rounder. Then again, 'tis the season for stupid trades.
 
It was a good trade because Thomas is at least twice the player that Elson is. He and Oberto will be a good tandem at Center. Barry was essentially thrown in to make the salaries match. In fact, now that I think more, This trade is essentially Thomas for a 1st rounder. There are even rumors (albeit by optimistic Spurs fans) that Barry may be bought out and resign with SA in 30 days... right about the time his leg heals.
 
I agree, GH. Even if Barry doesn't make it back, it's still a good deal. All three of the players have contracts expiring this year, and the Spurs save some money in doing the deal. While I dislike losing the draft pick, Kurt gives the Spurs some instant muscle inside and he has a consistent 10-15 foot jumper. Barry, Elson and Horry would all have been gone after this year, anyway, so this is a no-brainer for a stretch run - and Big Shot Rob is around for one more shot at another ring.
 
This trade was tremendous for the Spurs. Presti is stockpiling picks in SEA and could put together a very good team in the future either by staying with the picks or packaging them with other players for vets.
 
Thomas is a better defender than anybody who has complemented Duncan in the post since Robinson retired - I'd rather have him than Kevin Willis, Rasho, Nazr, Elson, etc.
 
Pop has mentioned in the past that he wished they didn't always have to pick people in the draft, meaning he'd rather not have to sign a late first round player and have his salary count against the cap because he doesn't really want the player on the team. Sometimes it's easier to not have to deal with players who aren't going to make the team anyway.
 
I don't like them giving up a first round pick to rent Thomas for 3 months, but they are going to have two rookies on the team next year in Mahinmi and Splitter. There's no way they would roll with 3. Surely, that pick would've either been traded away on draft day or used to stash a Euro for a few years.

For everybody saying that the signing creates cap space, it's not really true. Barry and Elson's contracts are going to expire at the end of the season anyway. They were always going to have that cap space available. I wouldn't be too bummed if they used some of it to sign Thomas for another year or so.

One other thing: this trade gets the Spurs under the cap, so it's a pretty decent financial windfall for them in addition to improving the team's chances to repeat. There really isn't much to complain about in this deal.

One other note: Sam Presti turned Rashard Lewis signing that ridiculous contract in Orlando into 3 first round picks. How must Phoenix feel about this today? They dumped their best defensive big in Thomas to get under the cap and spent 2 first round picks to do so. Then they react to the Gasol deal feeling that they need to get bigger inside to compete, and trade for Shaq taking on a huge cap hit in the process. Then, Thomas gets traded to the Spurs for almost nothing. I can't help but think that Steve Kerr got his *** handed to him in all of this. Of course, if Shaq leads them to the title then he'll have the last laugh. But right now, it just looks like he gave up 2 first round picks and helped his rival in the West while crushing his salary cap.
 
Sacrificing the future? You’d think this was Mike Ditka pulling the trigger on the Ricky Williams deal…

I admit I don't fully understand the dynamics of the NBA trade market, but it seems clear that 1st round draft picks in the NBA do not equate to their counterparts in the NFL. Once outside the lottery, one could argue that 1st round picks often do more harm than good. The guaranteed contracts become a nuisance to teams like the Spurs, Suns, etc. SA obviously hit the jackpot with Tony and Manu, but since then they’ve also drafted John Salmons, Luis Scola and Beno Udrih in the first round and things aren’t too bleak. Buford and Pop are comfortable stockpiling foreign talent and letting it develop overseas on someone else’s dime. If 1 out of 5 pans out, they look brilliant.

I think their mindset is that with a core of Tony, Duncan & Manu they still have a 2-3 year window. By dealing out some aging players and acquiring an expiring contract, I’d think they’re looking to make a move at some young commodities in the strong free agent classes that are coming in 2009 and 2010. I'm not too worried.
 
Are we that certain KT would leave? If I were him I'd seriously consider sticking around unless he has a choice between being a starter for another contender and a 6th or 7th man for the Spurs.
 
Don't forget, the Spurs have a few past draft picks that have been developing in the NBDL and in Europe. Frankly, the Spurs do not need a 1st rd draft pick in this year's draft. The suggesstion that the Spurs have "mortgaged their future" is laughable.

Popovich has a plan. He's got a fairly good track record of these things, ya know? Kurt Thomas is a great acquisition, IMO. And if he is only around for 3 months so be it. A first rd pick gets guaranteed money and the Spurs are in a position where they will look to get younger through free agency rather than a singhle pick in the upcoming draft.

If you look back at some of the players taken at the bottom of the first round over the past ten years, then you should have no trouble understanding why the Spurs made this deal. And also why they surely haven't mortgaged their future.

The Spurs future right now extends only to the end of Timmy's career. Pop must keep this team in contention not rebuild in that timeframe.
 
I see this as a "strike while the iron's hot" trade. Do you try to squeeze a couple more rings out of the Duncan era or do you start retooling for what's next. This move adresses the first scenario.
 
So a supposed inability of San Antonio's front office to evaluate the draft is a good reason for the team to haphazardly trade its picks? Seems like specious logic to me.

If the draft were really as worthless as so many are wont to claim, the league wouldn't have it. It's a simple as that. And, yet, it exists, albeit in a simplified, two-round format.

Bottom line: the Spurs' two-best players are former first-round picks that it acquired through drafts, not trades. Yes, there's also about 10 drafts' worth of busts in there, but I guess that's the price one pays to play. You can't win the raffle unless you buy a ticket.
 
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