A recent trade proposal from Bleacher Report has the San Antonio Spurs making a blockbuster deal with the Miami Heat, involving Jeremy Sochan.
With less than a month to go before the 2024 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs sit in front of a world of options. Speculation over what they should do with their picks continues to be a major topic of conversation in the sports world and for good reason. Victor Wembanyama has captured the attention of basketball observers worldwide, making it feel like there is a major emotional investment in the direction of San Antonio from people outside the fan base.
But if you have been paying attention to the tide of the conversation, there has been a shift as analysts have begun suggesting the Spurs take a more aggressive approach.
Why is the NBA media shifting their tone?
The simple answer is that the media realizes how special Victor Wembanyama is. Ordinarily, it would be smart money to take a slow approach. You would develop the young talent and allow him a chance to learn the ropes but the Rookie of the Year is anything but ordinary. There is nothing normal about what was witnessed. An alien arrived as backup for the Silver and Black to put on the most dominant display from a rookie in decades.
There were legitimate discussions about whether Wembanyama was already a top-20 player in the NBA during his inaugural season. That does not happen. Over the past two weeks, analysts have expressed an expectation of top-10 status next season, while Damian Lillard believes Wembanyama may be considered the best overall player.
Housing a top-10 player automatically opens your window to compete for a playoff spot, perhaps one that doesn’t require an NBA Play-In Tournament appearance. The proposals popping up lately reflect that expectation.
The proposed deal
The Miami Heat have experienced a lot of success lately, but it’s always been an odd road for them. They have dealt with major injuries repeatedly over the last few years and underperformed during the regular season. Despite that, when the lights come on in the playoffs, they’ve stepped up and gone on long playoff runs, leading all the way to the NBA Finals.
This season, the boys in South Beach made the playoffs again but this time, Jimmy Butler couldn’t suit up. As a result, they were bounced in five games by the Boston Celtics. After their lackluster season ended with a thud, Miami’s GM Pat Riley, made comments directed at Butler that would raise the eyebrows of the NBA world. Immediately, speculation began on whether the 34-year-old forward would be in their long-term plans.
The writer of this deal acknowledged the appeal of taking things slow for San Antonio, but as mentioned previously, taking things slow with an elite player on your roster doesn’t sound like what a good organization does.
San Antonio Spurs Receive: Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat Receive: Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Zach Collins, 3 First Round Picks (2024 Via Tor, 2027, 2029)
A deal like this automatically changes San Antonio from a bottom feeder to a contender. But taking a step back, there is a little too much being given away in this deal for an aging star. Especially when you’re including Jeremy Sochan, who the Spurs love. That doesn’t mean the idea is a bad one; it just needs to be adjusted. The 2024 eighth draft pick is the most valuable and Miami would likely require that be a part of the deal. That’s fine, but either the 2027 or 2029 pick needs to stay.
Both of those picks belong to the Spurs. As a result of what everyone expects to be a meteoric rise from Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio, those selections won’t likely hold a ton of value. That doesn’t mean you just give them all away in one deal, though. There will be many more transactions taking place over the years, so asset management is of the utmost importance.
PAFTO would still be able to draft a point guard like Reed Dillingham or Reed Sheppard. After a career year from three for Butler, the Spurs would be rolling out a much more dangerous lineup that can score both from the outside and inside in a myriad of ways. Jimmy has shown his guts in several playoff series, and his veteran leadership, paired with his resolve in big moments, would be massive for this young team.
The final verdict on this trade
San Antonio is in the perfect place right now. They have draft capital galore and flexible cap space that only looks to increase in 2025. They can make moves in almost any direction, with a positive outcome at the other end of the tunnel. But that doesn’t mean they should be hasty with their assets.
There is no guarantee that Jeremy Sochan will turn into Jimmy Butler, but Butler was drafted as a defensive specialist. There were very few who thought the Marquette product would evolve into the star he has. What is apparent now is that Sochan has a ton of potential, a selfless attitude and has shown a rare determination to help his team. You want to keep those guys on your team for as long as possible.
Jimmy Butler will be 35 in September and as he’s aged, his injuries have increased. Trading away a young, versatile forward with Sochan’s measurables for an aging player who, while having had awesome performances in the playoffs, has yet to lead his team to a championship, would be a borderline ridiculous decision.
That doesn’t even take the price of the former Chicago Bull into consideration. Butler has two more years on his deal at $48 million next season and a player option the following season at $52 million. There are younger, more affordable players the Spurs may be able to trade for that can put them on the path to playoff competition.
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