In the wake of the NBA doling out punishment for the Aspiration salary circumvention scandal involving the Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, and his uncle Dennis Robertson, the internet has blown up with suggestions for the Clippers future. Everything from relocating the team to Las Vegas, San Diego, or another worthy city (despite the recent construction of a state of the art arena in Inglewood) to trading their current assets immediately to acquire future draft picks.
It's the latter that has potential to involve the Spurs.
In this scenario, the Clippers could take on some of the leagues worst contracts paired with draft picks to supplement the five that were taken from them as a result of the investigation. One post even stated that the Spurs could trade Darius Garland who has roughly $87M remaining over two years for De'Aaron Fox 4-year/$222M deal.
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Strangely enough, Garland and Fox were initially considered
by the Spurs for the point guard position. Both are represented by Rich Paul and he was pushing Garland toward the Spurs until Fox made it clear he did not mind giving up the spotlight in Sacramento for Victor Wembanyama's shadow in San Antonio.
What has happened since the trade has seen the emergence of both Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper into two of the best young guards in the league. Paired with the injury Fox sustained before the NBA Finals, fans were writing off the inaugural NBA Clutch Player of the Year as the Spurs headed into the offseason shaking off disappointment.
Why trading Fox for Garland makes sense for the Spurs now
As mentioned, there is a potential logjam at the guard position. With Fox, Castle, and Harper in the mix, there may not be enough minutes to go around. Fox initially brought a much needed veteran presence to the young Spurs core. Now the team is growing up right in front of everyone's eyes.
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There's a second consideration. Fox demands a significant chunk of the Spurs available funds. With each passing year, the young core will require larger paydays. The Spurs committed a 5-year/$252M to Victor Wembanyama, a huge increase from his 4-year/$55M rookie contract. As it stands, Wemby left $50M on the table allowing for some flexibility, but Castle is eligible for a rookie extension next summer and with Harper eligible for an extension in the summer of 2028. Trading Fox's contract for Garland's offers flexibility in the years the Spurs need to capitalize on their Big 3.
Why the trade is not ideal
For starters, who wants to be the first team to lend a helping hand to the Los Angeles Clippers? And do we really want to do Swipa that way? Business is business, but sending a player to the non-Lakers version of Tinseltown right now could be construed as a sign of disrespect. The Los Angeles Clippers is exactly
where 2018 Kawhi Leonard deserved to go. Ironically, the Spurs refused to send him there. He eventually found his way now has now left it burning
in his wake as he beelines it out of the country.
No matter what happens, it will be interesting to see how the continued saga of the Clippers plays out.
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