WHY A Giannis TRADE Does & Doesn’t WORK!
Got to admit Spurs fans. Giannis, he looks good in a Spurs jersey. [Music] What is up, San Antonio Spurs fans? Welcome to TSR Sports. TGI if a lot of you been saying to me recently, TSR, let’s trade for Giannis, trade the number two overall pick. My usual response has been salary cap issues. Don’t see it happening. And I’ve touched base on it a little in videos, but I wanted to go more in depth on why I think the trader for Giannis does work, but why it doesn’t. Twin Towers 2.0 does sound appealing. So anyway, in my trade scenario to make salaries work, we’re going to trade pick number two plus Devon Vel, Kellen Johnson, and Jeremy Sohand, and probably some future picks as well. Castle is staying put. So in our future scenario, our lineup’s going to be Fox, Castle, Barnes, Giannis, and Wemby. I wanted to talk about the salary cap though. This is what I’ve talked about a lot and hopefully visuals help a lot in me explaining this instead of just trying to comment it. The current salary cap is about $141 million with the luxury tax of around 171. And if you look at our San Antonio Spurs there, they are way near the bottom of the league at 27. And I think based on spur just what the Spurs have done in the past is we’ll go over the salary cap like many teams do, but try to stay under that luxury tax. You don’t want to be the Cleveland Cavaliers next year. Look where they are. They’re at the top of the list and they’re going to be way over everything paying out stuff left and right. And that being said, there’s a lot of rules with the salary cap. There’s a lot of penalties. If you go over the luxury amount, going to the first and second level aprons, there’s so much to go over that it confuses the heck out of me. Can restrict who you’re actually signing during the season. So, we’re just going to strict just stay strictly to numbers for this video. So, this is the cap right now, but Giannis is not here right now. When will he be here? Soon, maybe. I don’t know. This is from Real GM, and I hope this is accurate. This is the NBA salary cap over the next three seasons. 155, 170, 187, and then the luxury tax limits are 188, 207, 227. And think again for this scenario, the Spurs will go over the salary cap, but try to stay at that luxury tax limit and not go over it. Certainly not go over into the first apron, second a etc, etc. and trading for Giannis and keeping Fox and Web and Castle. I do think it works in year one, you two, year two, guys. I think it would be an exciting time to be a Spurs fan. I’d be shocked if they didn’t be at least get at least get one title out of those two years. Minimum Western Conference Finals, right? Giannis and Wendy Twin Towers 2.0. Minimum Western Conference Finals. Anything less than that would be a massive disappointment, barring injury, of course. So looking at contract situations, I think it works in year 1, year two. Year three is where I really worry. The salary cap will be 187, the luxury tax 227. So for the purpose of this video, we’ll say the luxury tax, make easy numbers, is $225 million. I just happen to have in monopoly money, we’ll pretend this is millions, $225 million. And in year number three, Giannis is set to make 63 million. Fox on his extension should be making about 50. Webby will be on his rookie contract extension. Looking around the league, similar first round, first overall picks get about 40. Castle will be on the last year of his rookie contract making 13. When you add all those guys up, it comes out to about 165 million. Said we had 225, right? Well, there goes 100. There goes where’s my 15? 50 15 165 million. So in year number three, that leaves us $60 million for 11 players. We still got to pay our fifth starter. Do we have a dedicated six-man? I would assume decent vets are going to cost at least 10 million, maybe 15. So how do we put together a competitive roster in year three moving forward when we’re going to be very restricted by how much money we have left? This is where I’m really concerned. And that’s not to say things couldn’t happen. Maybe Fox takes a smaller contract living in Texas with no state taxes and gives the Spurs a bit of a hometown discount. Maybe the Spurs win two championships with Giannis backtoback. And he says, “You know what? I see you. You got” and his team talks to him and says, “We have some salary cap issues.” And he says, “I love being in San Antonio. I love being a winner. Love playing with WY. Let’s go ahead and restructure my contract so we can stay a winner.” We’ve seen players do it before. So, yeah, that could happen. But then we get to year four and it’s Castle’s rookie contract extension which should be north of 30 million and then we’re back into salary capel. So I see trading for Giannis is an absolute win now move and I do think absolutely the Spurs would be immediate contenders bringing Giannis in but it seems just so shortsighted to just I mean I maybe I’ll be the same you know it’s a little bit off on a tangent but maybe the Spurs will have their core pieces around WBY Webby Castle Harper if they end up drafting them then everybody else will be you know we’ll do the role players thing you know we the big three with Timmy with Manu and Tony and then you know players came players went but those three were the core maybe that’s going to be the Spurs moving forward Castle and Harper I don’t know what I do know is I’ll be rooting for the team no matter what they do and I’m not actually one thing I would remember Spurs fans I’m not naive to the fact that if we draft Harper we could have the same similar similar cap same salary cap issues in the future if they keep boxy castle and Harper so if we draft maybe the core is might be Castle Harper. Who knows? If they trade for Giannis, maybe they do trade away Fox in a couple years or they trade Giannis away a couple of years. Who the heck knows? All I know, guys, it is an awesome time to be a Spurs fan. This is I’ve been a Spurs fan for 35 years. I don’t know about you guys. You should certainly share in the comments, but it’s certainly been an up and down and up David Robinson’s early career, then the injury in 9697 when the wheels fell off and we had the worst season in the team’s history. And then got Timmy Duncan out of that. Boom. Dynasty. Now we’re just riding high, right? Sure, some of the playoff losses, the point4 seconds, sorry, stuff like that, the loss of the heat, those were, you know, the dips, but there was a ton of highs with the six finals appearances and five championships. And then we hit the wall with the quiet liner trade and the team has been kind of regrouping since with six losing seasons in a row. So, we’ve been we’ve hit the dip, little bit of a bump up this year, and now we’re going back up. We’re ascending. There’s no doubt we’re going up the coaster and ready for the you know, the ride. We’re not It’s not a drop or is that We’re going up good. You get You get what I’m trying to say. It’s a good time. We have our franchise player. We have options. And I think that’s what I like the most right now. Spurs fans. We have options. They can draft the pick number two. They can trade down. Still maybe the possibility of trading up. I’ve talked about it. It’s it’s it could happen. Not likely. Not likely. Probably about a 1.8% chance of it happening. Which means you’re saying there’s a chance. Hey, if the Mavericks can jump from 11 to one, why can’t we trade for Cooper Flag? So many options for our Spurs and I really I’m so excited to share this roller coaster ride with you. No matter what happens, if we bring Giannis in, I’ll be all in. I’ll be like Twin Towers 2.0. I’m all aboard. Choo choo. Let’s go. If they draft Dylan Harper, all aboard. If they they whatever we do, back up a second. The only place I won’t be on board, of course, is if we draft somebody second overall that was projected to go 15th. If we pull a primo and overdraft the guy, obviously I’ll be screaming at my TV like you guys. I don’t see that happening again. We’ve made that mistake once. I I don’t see it happening twice. It’s going to It’s going to be awesome time. Can’t wait for the NBA draft where there’s going to be tons of draft news, tons of rumors about the Spurs making trades, and I’ll try to stay on top of it. And hopefully hopefully today’s video gave you a little more to where I’ve been with my concerns with trading for Giannis. Would love to have them. I just I think it’s only two-year window with him and then something’s going to happen in year three. Either Fox is gone, Giannis is gone, or something else. Drop a comment down below and that I’m done rambling. Hit the thumbs up, support the channel, subscribe, and become part of our awesome spurs community. Thank you, and as always, go Spurs go. and stay.
Wemby & Giannis make the Spurs an instant contender, but would it be the right move?
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40 Comments
I would love to have Giannis as a Spur, I just worry it would be a rushed wrong move. This video is a bit out of my comfort zone so I hope it made sense. Thanks for watching and GO SPURS GO!
Eh I wouldn’t do it, might as well pick at 2 and trade 14. Hopefully next year the hawks stink so we can switch picks
Been a Spurs fan for 27 years.
22 years a spurs fan go spurs go!!
Don’t forget wemby can take a pay cut
I'm just rolling with what the front office does and not going to ridicule guys that get paid millions to make the decisions they make. If they pursue and land Giannis then that's how the cards were dealt. They definitely evaluated what risks and returns then acted in good faith to improve. I'm not some armchair GM or statistician here to argue with fellow spurs fans about simple opinions on this matter. GoSpursGo
Trade castle then
I see a lot in the comments that we should trade Fox to get Giannis. Do you really think that Fox will accept to go to the Bucks (for one/two/three years of tanking) ??
He hasn't sign any extension with the Spurs. It would be the best way to make him pissed of. Losing Fox for nothing would be a marvellous move !!!
My second point is : "Do Giannis want to join the Spurs ??"
Without any doubts, the Rockets will be the main competitor to land him if he finally decides to leave Milwaukee.
Being Giannis, do you prefer to play for an already playoff team (2nd of the western conference this season), in a team composed of Vanvleet, Thompson, Brooks and Sengun (a mix of experimented players and very promising young ones) and for a very experimented coach (Ime Udoka) ??
Or for a team which didn't even make the playin, with a franchise player who is just recovering from a blood clot and with a rookie head coach (the whole basketball planet continues to doubt of his capacities right now) ??
I am a Spurs' fan but being Giannis, I would choose the Rockets everyday !!! because I want to play for a contender team right now !!!
The package that the Rockets could send to the Bucks is also very interesting to rebuild the franchise… For example, this 3-team trade :
Rockets receive Giannis.
Bucks receive Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr and Reed Sheppard + pick Suns 2025 + swap Brooklyn 2027 from Rockets and their own pick swap 2026 and 2027 from Pels
Pels receive pick Suns 2027 + swap Suns 2029 from Rockets and AJ Green from Bucks (very interesting for the Pels who could then discuss with Phoenix to trade for KD or Booker !!)
This package sends three young players with potential and a rookie top10 this year, a swap with Brooklyn which could still be bad in 2027 and the possibility to tank in 2026 and 2027 to get other top10 rookies with potential.
This is definitely a good way to lose Giannis…
And again, I am a Spurs' fan but being the Bucks GM, I prefer the Rockets package than any Spurs' package !! (because with my picks 2026 and 2027 back, I can control my destiny…)
So don't be surprised if the Rockets manage to land Giannis…
I think for it to work Fox would be going
I feel like getting Giannis is like getting an offer for an interest-free credit card that skyrockets to 35% after the promo period is over and now you have this huge balance because you were making minimum payments.
Too much money required to Giannis and not a good deal for long term
We got to draft Hansen yang. He can shoot 3s and pass also he’s a 7’2 center
If we get a superstar, they will expect the offense to run through them at least 50% of the time. We clearly were running the offense through Wemby. Sometimes reminded me of Kobe and the Lakers. We can’t have guys just standing there to pass the ball to Wemby. CP’s main play was Wemby setting a screen and then roll out and CP would pass to VW for an open three. So many of those 3s were misses. Spurs have a long way to go to figure out the offense. Just let it all happen organically. Or make some trades that meet the need – like size. We don’t need a home run trade.
Trade fox and Vassell 64 mil and 2 first and 2 seconds.
For Giannis and Portis 66 mil.
The Spurs will still have a strong bench Keep this year’s draft picks get Harper, re-sign Paul
This just came across my feed: how do you feel TSR about Bam Adebayo becoming a San Antonio Antonio spur instead of Giannis Antetokounmpo? I think his incoming contract is a little too expensive for his talent but I really like the fit
Part of me would just love to see Giannis and Wemby play together, but the more I think about it, the riskier it seems. I guess I'll just leave the front office decide what they want to do and follow them for the time being, they're (supposed to be) way smarter than us and have access to all the analytics, and Wemby's only 22 next year, we can afford a couple more seasons of rebuilding if needed.
If we start the next season playing Fox-Vassell-Castle-Harper I might lose my mind though.
I don’t know why the Spurs trying to run a small lineup, warriors got away with it because they had good shooters, we don’t have good shooters on the team to even be compared to the warriors. Spurs won’t make the playoffs if Mitch come with that bull$&?@ lineup like last season
The reason OKC is scary is because they will be really good for the next 10+years because of their talented youth and future draft capital. Do the Spurs want to auction off all those assets for a 30+year old superstar player and really have a 3 year window with that player before his decline. If we keep the #2 pick and just fill out the roster through the draft and adding veteran players at the right price, then the Spurs can compete for the next 10+years as well. Championship caliber roster for 10 + years. That is what OKC and the rest of the NBA is worried about now.
40 million is too low for Wemby. He is going to win DPOY and be All-NBA (which he would’ve done THIS year if not for the blood clot) so his max deal will be akin to Ant’s—closer to 45-50 million. So yeah, Giannis would crush their flexibility.
When I was a kid, the summer the Spurs won the lottery to draft Tim Duncan, I remember a sports announcer on the radio clamoring for the Spurs to deal the #1 pick for Shawn Kemp who was on the block that year. That it was a very real possibility. Now wasn’t that a bullet dodged? Sonics might still be in Seattle had that gone down. Feels like we’re at a similar juncture here.
.4 is my least favorite number
atleast 2 imo depending on how we can keep em all and keep on adding good players through the draft and free agency with vet minimum cause with that line up thats all we can afford. to address your concern with being short sighted we dont know how that players today like winning what if wemby leaves us if we keep on losing? it happened before .btw been a spurs fun since 96
If Giannis and Fox dont take a pay cut on year 3, trade 1 of them. We need a win now team, we spurs fans have been suffering for years
Trade for him means u gut the roster with no bench, you ain’t winning shit with a bunch of scrubs… current roster with new rookie and a backup big is what the spurs need….
People don’t know the massive problem with youth building is the calary cap kinda make it impossible to have 3 mvp player in a single them even if so they won’t have depth
Giannis isn't leaving Milwaukee. The spurs should focus on drafting long athletic players who can defend. When Wemby is off the court the Spurs defense is crap. Harper doesn't change that.
Harper is amazing. Spurs just need to build organically.
Ive been a Spurs fan since 1999, I really miss those games where the big 3 (Duncan, Parker & Ginobili) were having a joke a the start of 4th quarter and the supporting cast were mopping out the rest of 4th quarter on opponents turf and yet they still won comfortably. Im leaving it to the management & coaching staff, as a true Spurs fan Im sure they know it more than us, so whatever the decision its for the good of the team.
can we get bam abedayo instead, not to trade harper?
I would rather see the front office investing in roster depth. Spurs bench net rating was minus 8 this season. Team’s overall net rating was minus 2.8. Simple math.
It is short-sighted. We’ve had the greatest success In developing our own draft picks.
I could see the Spurs trading back from #2 to like #5 with Utah getting more future 1st round picks and taking a guy like Khaman Maluach. I bet that's the kind of move that will end up happening. All this Harper, Bailey, and Giannis talk will have been for naught.
Im hoping for this. For us to win a ring.🇵🇭
For those who still think that the Spurs should trade for KD or Giannis… and bring a Supermax contract in the Spurs cap…
When you take the three teams qualified for the semi-finals, all of them have no "more than 30 years old" major players except :
– Rudy Gobert, 32 years old but only playing 28 minutes and he is more present defensively than offensively.
– Mike Conley, 37 years old but only playing 24 minutes and is he still a major player ?
– TJ McConnell, 32 years old but only playing 17 minutes (with this number of minutes, even my grand-mother can play in NBA… 😁😁)
When you take the three teams qualified for the semi-finals, only one player is paid at a supermax contract (35% of the cap), KAT ! But to make his team competitive, the franchise player, Jalen Brunson, has accepted to lower his salary up to…. 22% of the cap (instead of a max at 30% of the cap) !!! If the Knicks win the NBA title, they will be able to elevate a statue of Jalen next to the MSG !!
The second highest paid player is…. Rudy Gobert with 31% of the cap.
Three players are paid with a max contract (30% of the cap) : Edwards, Halliburton and Siakam.
If OKC manage to eliminate Denver, OKC have only one player more than 30 years old : Carruso at 31 years old. And OKC have no players with a max contract !!!
I love G, but I also think it is a bit too early. I do wish we were also looking at other possibilities which I have not heard much about. My favorite addition is N Reid…..similar to G in some ways, but 25 and much cheaper….I also think there will be some good big men available to draft at 14 which might also be good trade folk in the long run, along with some of the current core. Just smarter I think…..Perhaps there are other like N Reid, but age, salary and stats make him the best seance option I think if we draft Harper (who I love-pedigree, talent and potential perennial all-star) I think the timing is best in this scenario.
Weve been saying to draft and develop young talents since 2017 with Derick White but where are they now? No star player have come out yet hoping only for Wemby. Guys Giannis is Top 5 NBA player so for me worth to pursue a trade even it cost some of our young talents.
To trade your whole team for Giannas wouldn't be smart. Only way I would want Giannas is if we are a piece away from winning multiple championships. I'm not going to be like the Lakers and get a superstar like LeBron for just one championship ring. Stay with the young guys let them develop into a championship team together. Just like Oklahoma City did with there young team. The days of needing a veteran player on a young inexperienced team are over. Let the young talent develop because I want Dylan Harper.
We need to depth also I don’t know how many titles we could potentially get
Giannis to Spurs won't happen…PATSFO is not stupid. I look forward ending this futile discussion when Brian Wright fleecing a team with the 2nd pick. The Atlanta Hawks 2.0 trade will make the team contenders NEXT SEASON while continuing the process of building the "SuperTeam" Peter Holt spoke about two years ago.
Giannis is a no miss spurs should not let this go the God of basketball is giving a lottery to spurs they shouldn't miss it out trade fox and picks and get the giannis domination till wemby get ready