The San Antonio Spurs recently concluded their 2013-2014 season by capturing their 5th NBA Title over the defending champions the Miami Heat. The challenge now add new pieces to sustain potential loss of free agents and to point out which once are to be retained.
Potential free agents to retain:
Tim Duncan
-Sure he maybe on his wrong side of his age but Duncan has defied father time for quite sometime now and he still has the desire to play as long he desires. He still remains effective and consistently plays at a high level despite his age. Duncan is still the leader of Spurs and a one of the core members of this championship team. So retaining him at a reasonable rate would make sense.
Kawhi Leonard
-Although Kawhi Leonard's contract will end in 2015, extending his contract this early makes more sense as his skills has improved so as his value to the team. Kawhi is being groomed to be one of the core players and potentially replace either Duncan or Ginobili once they retire.
Boris Diaw
-Diaw's performance in the playoffs has been one of the key factors in the Spurs championship run. If they can retain Diaw that would at least retain one of the role player who is already adept to the Spurs style of play.
Patty Mills
-Another key contributor in the success of the San Antonio Spurs championship. Having Patty Mills
would also provide Tony Parker some relief without a drop off from the point guard or shooting guard position.
Potential Free Agent to sign.
Pau Gasol
-This would be the biggest free agent that the Spurs could sign as long as he can afford the salary he wants. Gasol would be the option if the Spurs can't retain Diaw. He'll likely take some of Duncan's time during the regular season. There are several articles that support this potential signing.
SportsWorld.com
Potential Player to acquire via Trade
Kevin Love
-With the potential for the Spurs to lose Duncan and Diaw in free agency or retirement, the Spurs would like to get a proven big man who is hungry to win a championship ring and that would be Kevin Love. Love can shot either in the post and also from the perimeter which would offset the loss of either Diaw or Matt Bonner and according to
SportsWorld.com the Spurs have the cap space to sign him a new contract and the wealth of assets that they can trade for him.
Potential Rookies to bring in.
Ryan Richards
-I have been hyping Ryan Richards for quite some time now and it's time for Richards to come in and learn from Tim Duncan.