Top 3 trades the Spurs must make before the 2025 NBA trade deadline

The San Antonio Spurs they are slowly getting better. With Victor Wembanyama having another solid season, backed by multiple veterans, the team is in good hands to finally become a playoff contender again. Although that is yet to be known when coach Gregg Popovic will return to the sidelinesafter suffering a mild stroke, Mitch Johnson did a respectable job filling in. Currently, San Antonio is the 12th seed with a 19-20 record that should put them in the Play-In conversation. In order to compete for a playoff spot, a team can engage in some roster moves before the trade deadline. For this piece, let’s take a look at the best trades the Spurs must make before 2025 NBA trade deadline.

Spurs trade with the Toronto Raptors

Spurs receive: Jakob Poeltl ($19.5 million)

Raptors get: Zach Collins ($16.7 million) and Blake Wesley ($2.6 million)

The Spurs could really use a backup center for Victor Vembanyama, especially with Zach Collins having his worst season since coming to San Antonio. Collins is averaging just 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on 44.4% shooting from the field. To make matters worse, he also doesn’t impress defensively. As a result, this should prompt the Spurs to finally move on from Collins and get an upgrade for their frontcourt. One of the best ways to do that is by trading for a familiar face in Jakob Poeltl.

Poeltl should be a familiar face for the Spurs, having played for the Spurs for over four seasons. Today, the 7-foot-0 center has blossomed into a solid big man for the Toronto Raptors. He is having a career-best season with averages of 14.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He should easily be a reliable relief center when Vembanjama is off the floor. Otherwise, he should also pair perfectly with the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year who should form a formidable tower combination.

To get the Raptors big man, San Antonio can move on from Collins. Moreover, they will also be able to unload Blake Wesley who went down. With the Raptors aiming to rebuild, unloading a veteran like Poeltl is a priority for the team. Furthermore, Collins and Wesley fit their timeline better. A change of scenery could also bring these players back into the ranks.

Trade with the Brooklyn Nets

Spurs get Cameron Johnson ($22.5 million)

Nets receiving: Keldon Johnson ($19 million), Julian Champagne ($3 million)

The Spurs’ system relies heavily on outside shots. With more shooting, this should also provide more space for Vembanyama to dominate in the paint. Currently, the Spurs rank 23rd in the NBA in the three-point shooting department, converting 34.3% of their shots. Adding a shooter like Cameron Johnson should provide the team with a better shooter.

As effective as Keldon Johnson has been over the past few seasons, the 6-foot-5 forward has also shown he’s not an ideal wing next to Wembanyama. In fact, Johnson is only shooting 28.3% from downtown, which is hurting the team. As a result, trading him for Brooklyn’s Johnson should be just what the doctor ordered for the Spurs. Unlike the San Antonio wing, the much taller Johnson is shooting 42.8% from beyond the arc while also contributing a career-best 19.6 points per game.

But with the Nets realizing their power forward has major trade value, the Spurs must not only give up their starting power forward, but also add in sharpshooting 23-year-old Julian Champagne. Even though Champagnie is playing well, a veteran shooting forward like Johnson is too hard to pass up.

Trade with the Sacramento Kings

Spurs get: De’Aaron Fox ($34.8 million)

Kings get: Devin Vassell ($29.3 million), Malaki Branham ($3.2 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili ($2.1 million)

Vembanyama has proven that he is a generational talentespecially after winning NBA Rookie of the Year. To support his rise, the Spurs went to work in the offseason, culminating in the acquisition of 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul. But while CP3 is an elite guard, he’s also already 39 years old. As a result, the team must look for another star to pair with its seven-foot phenom. De’Aaron Fox is rumored to be seeking a trade, according to a report according to Bleacher Report, the Spurs should invite the Sacramento Kings.

Fox is one of the best rising stars in the NBA. He has also proven that he is capable of leading the team’s offense. The speedy point guard is averaging 26.5 points, but more importantly, with the way he’s been playing, Fox seems like a perfect fit to pair with the French sensation. The addition of Fox should eventually elevate San Antonio to a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. Furthermore, it’s probably the best move the team can make to replace Vembanyama’s rise to superstardom.

The biggest catch for buying Fox will likely be giving up one of the Spurs’ top guns in Devin Vassell. Vassell established himself as the team’s main offensive weapon. However, it’s hard to see his production being enough to be the stable secondary option that Vembanyama needs to be in the championship conversation. Furthermore, his need to improve defensively doesn’t help either. In order to further attract the Kings, San Antonio may have to add another youngster in Malachi Branham and Sandro Mamukelaashvili.

Fox is the face of the Kings franchise, so it’s only natural that Sacramento will demand a high price for their star. But for the Spurs, it should be a win-win move to trade for the Sacramento star to increase Wembanyama’s exposure.