NBA Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers linked to San Antonio Spurs

In a series exploring NBA Rumors and potential trade partners, We have learned that the Philadelphia 76ers have been linked to the San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are the epitome of what the Philadelphia 76ers hope to become someday: a high caliber team whose savvy in the NBA draft and player development continue to keep the team pursuing success in the NBA playoffs.

But the shelf life of an NBA player’s top form is approximately a 3-7 years window.  After that, skills begin to decline ever so slightly.  And so it is that in the 2016 NBA playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs began to feel the effects of maturity on their roster.   They lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-2 in a series where the Spurs were the favorite.

And whenever a team loses a series they are favored in, there is in intensive search to find the weakest link.  That link for the Spurs was the center position.

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This fact was not lost to our FanSided counterpart for the San Antonio Spurs, where Ian Smith waded into the fray with an article detailing the interest and possible compensation packages for either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel.

In his article, Smith acknowledges the challenge of packaging compensation from a perennial playoff team has its limits, as there are no high draft picks to choose from.  He does however line up five veteran players who could be included in a deal:  Danny Green, Boris Diaw, Patty Mills, and Kyle Anderson.
Then he goes on to assess the quality of each player in a trade package:

"Anderson is too inexperienced to draw any major interest from the 76ers. Diaw is a 34 year old reserve without the production to really wow the 76ers as a main component of a trade. That leaves Parker, Green, and Mills as the more likely options to be centerpieces of a potential trade."

And so, Tony Parker, Danny Green And Patty Mills it is, at least for now. But is it enough?  Well, we know that the lamb was led to the slaughter last season whenever the Philadelphia 76ers set up against a hot shooting wing man.  So why mention that now?

If Green can elevate our wing defense, we’ve conquered a nagging dilemma with the team.  You see, the wing situation with the Philadelphia 76ers has been an issue for a very long time.   Since the Spurs have Aldridge, who is a great low post scorer, the Spurs would likely have more interest in Nerlens Noel.

Green would also deliver some upgrade on the perimeter which would help the Sixers desperately.  While Green is not an offensive powerhouse, combined with point guard Tony Parker would give the Philadelphia 76ers untold versatility.  Seeking perimeter shooting, the combination of Green and Parker would give the Sixers a pair of 40% shooters from beyond the arc, and would unify the back court from teammates who would be immediately familiar with one another.

Next: NBA Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers linked to Denver Nuggets

While other offers may include draft picks or younger players, it would be tough to poo poo an offer of a pair of veterans from the San Antonio Spurs, a team which head coach Brett Brown is trying to replicate in Philadelphia.  Just one more offer to consider.  I’ll leave you to it while I go off and search for more scenarios.