It’s the beginning of a long offseason ahead for the San Antonio Spurs, and there are plenty of plots and subplots to follow on the road to the NBA Draft and July’s free agent push. Here are their three biggest needs they need to address this summer:
1) Re-sign Kawhi Leonard
The Spurs are widely expected to offer the 23-year-old Leonard a five-year max deal once free agency begins on July 1st, hitching the future of the franchise’s wagon to the former NBA Finals MVP and reigning Defensive Player of the Year. However, the inconsistency of his shot in the Clippers series raises questions about just how ready Leonard is to take the brunt of the offensive load. If he is, he’ll be well worth the max deal and then some.
2) Figure out what's happening with the Big 3
Manu Ginobili turns 38 this summer, and has reportedly given off the vibe to those around him that the 2014-15 season was his last as an active player. Tim Duncan, 39, may be a better bet to return with other fundamentally brilliant season under his belt, but that’s still far from a sure thing. There’s outside chance that Ginobili, Duncan and Tony Parker will get the band back together one more time. If not, we just saw the end of one of the greatest NBA trios to ever lace up their sneakers.
3) Upgrade roster in free agency
Spurs fans are clamoring for LaMarcus Aldridge to shun the Trail Blazers in free agency and return home, but is it really feasible? Aldridge would have to leave an extra year and $30 million on the table in Portland, and the Spurs would have to part ways with Danny Green or trade another key rotation piece to give Aldridge a worthwhile offer. There’s also rumblings that the Spurs could conceivably wrest Marc Gasol away from the Grizzlies in free agency, but it would require a similar bit of puzzle work for the front office to get that done.
Even if they strike out on those two top targets, San Antonio needs to find a way to upgrade their roster to keep pace in a crowded, ultra-competitive Western Conference.
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