After much speculation on trades related to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jeremy Sochan, the trade deadline has come and gone. The Spurs felt happy with their roster and put changes off until the end of the season. However, with some players struggling to find their place on this team, and San Antonio owning key upcoming Hawks’ picks, San Antonio’s decisions matter. So how did the Spurs do?
How the Spurs Move Forward After a Silent Trade Deadline
Hawks Give Spurs a Win
Without having to make a single move by the deadline the Spurs have benefited heavily from the Hawks trades. Earlier in the season the Hawks traded Trae Young, who was the face of the franchise for several years, to the Wizards. Kristaps Porziņģis, the Hawks’ center and an NBA champion, has been sent to Golden State. This leaves the Hawks with a deep team but now with Jalen Johnson as their only star-level player. Although Porzingis has been injured for most of the season, he and Young are still excellent players who could have helped the Hawks win more games.
Why does this matter? The Spurs own both a pick-swap for this upcoming draft and the Hawks unprotected first round pick for 2027. The Atlanta Hawks are currently 25-27 and are the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. Although Young and Porziņģis made a limited impact this season, the Hawks moves are clearly the beginnings of a rebuild. However, it is a rebuild that will benefit the Spurs for the foreseeable future. When it comes to Atlanta’s trades the Spurs may be the clearest winners.
Jeremy Sochan
The writing seemed to be on the wall for Sochan. After a season spent with more time on the bench than in his rookie year, and his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, rumors swirled about Sochan’s time in San Antonio coming to an end. But how much San Antonio could get from their former ninth pick was still a question. His limited offensive ceiling and playing time were not exactly enticing. However, his defense is a selling point in the brief moments he’s been able to show it off.
Luckily for Sochan, he still has more time to show his skills before the offseason begins. Sochan posted a cryptic story to his Instagram before the trade deadline. The story had a picture of him warming up with the lyrics of “Selfish” by Dave and James Blake. There is a chance this post is related to the stress of the trade deadline. Less luckily for the Spurs, they don’t get anything out of not trading Sochan. If they let him walk in free agency, not trading him for at least a second-round pick will seem to be a mistake.
The Giannis Sweepstakes are Over
After all the speculation, the Milwaukee Bucks are keeping Giannis Antetokounmpo for the rest of the season. How much he will play for the Bucks is questionable, with injuries and general disillusionment in the mix. The Spurs made a wise choice. Milwaukee will not part with their star easily. Even without any kind of leverage, the Bucks would not give him up for cheap for fear of fan repercussions. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper have been linked to hypothetical trades for Giannis.
General Manager Brian Wright has made the right choice of keeping his young core and seeing what they can do in the playoffs. After all, it worked out pretty well for a different team last year.
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