The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season, and they could look to fix a major hole in their roster before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
After finishing last season with just 22 wins, San Antonio has already almost surpassed that total this season. The Spurs currently hold an 18-19 record, which has them sitting 12th in the Western Conference standings, just half of a game out of the final Play-In spot.
Of course, Victor Wembanyama has been a major reason for the Spurs’ great season as the superstar center is averaging 25.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and NBA-best 4.0 blocks per game. While Wembanyama has been great, others on the roster have also contributed.
The Spurs’ veteran offseason additions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes have also made a major impact this season. San Antonio has also seen some of their young players continue to develop, including both Devin Vassell and Jermey Sochan, who have both been productive.
While the Spurs have had a solid season, if they want to make a run at a playoff spot, they must upgrade their backup center position. Zach Collins has underperformed this season and has seen his minutes drop because of it. Outside of Collins, the only other centers on the Spurs roster are Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili, but both have seen limited court time.
San Antonio could target veteran center Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls to upgrade their center depth. In a possible trade, the Spurs could send Collins, Blake Wesley and draft capital to Chicago for Vucevic.
Vucevic has been in trade rumors for the past couple of seasons, but there was not a ton of interest from other teams. That has changed this season as the 34-year-old has had a career resurgence, averaging 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 43.3% from three.
He is the exact player the Spurs need off the bench and could even fit next to Wembanyama in the starting lineup. Vucevic is a great scorer and rebounder, who would be a massive upgrade over Collins in the second unit.
San Antonio has struggled with Wembanyama off the court, but Vucevic would give them a reliable option off the bench to help take the load off their young superstar, which could help them snap their long playoff drought.
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