Despite a first-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs put in one heck of a 2018-19 season.
San Antonio entered the year seemingly stuck between rebuild and a shot at contention. Led by the recently acquired DeMar DeRozan, the team won 48 games.
With Pop likely looking at an extension here soon, the expectation is that San Antonio will look to keep its core group together.
Not so fast. In taking questions from fans, The Athletic’s Jabari Young pointed out that only two players on the Spurs’ roster are seen as untouchable.
“Think right now, Derrick (White) and Dejounte (Murray) are the only untouchables. And if someone offers a nice deal for Bertans, I think Spurs will bite,” Young noted. “He’s a good player but defense is not where it needs to be and the series against the Nuggets, Davis was bad. I thought he’d play well but he didn’t. Again, has to be a solid deal, maybe for a more defensive minded young player who can hit 3s.
Acquired from Toronto in the blockbuster Kawhi Leonard trade last year, DeRozan averaged 21.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting at a 48 percent mark this past regular season.
The 29-year-old guard has the ability to opt out of his contract following the 2019-20 campaign. Should the two sides not come to terms on a long-term deal, there’s a chance San Antonio might look to move him for some young pieces.