The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the best teams in the league this season and while they are in the top part of the west, they could get active at the trading deadline after suffering a number of injuries, making names like Beno Udrih and Evan Turner possible additions for the Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
According to ESPN.com, the Spurs may be more active at the deadline this season than in past years, in large part because of the high number of injuries sustained by the team, including to Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter at various times. The team lost Manu Ginobili for a decent amount of time and while they remain as one of the top teams in the NBA, the Spurs may be looking for depth heading into the playoffs to help keep their big three from playing too many minutes. Matt Bonner and Boris Diaw are trade chips for the team and they could be used in those deals.
Parker is expected to play in the All-Star game and it comes as he is averaging 18 points and six assists per game this season and according to Pro Basketball Talk, the team is interested in acquiring Beno Udrih back and he could be a backup option for Parker if he goes down again. The report says that with Udrih basically in the dog house this season for Mike Woodson, the Spurs have emerged as a potential target and it says that the team was scouting him at the Knicks game on Wednesday against the Kings leading into the deadline.
Udrih knows the Spurs and has played in championships before and he would give the team depth and he is a top target along with Sixers swingman Evan Turner. The 76ers have long been considered a team that will be active at the deadline and while they want only draft picks for their players in deals as they rebuild, someone like Turner might be hard to move for that price, as he is set to be a free agent. Some teams may not be willing to trade a high pick for Turner since he is set to be a free agent and if the Sixers lower their asking price, the Spurs could get involved.
Turner is averaging nearly 20 points per game this season and the former number two pick has been playing well for the Sixers and now he could end up in the playoff race. Turner could end up a restricted free agent and the team is unlikely to keep him and that puts the Spurs into the mix for the trade. Ginobili and Parker have missed time heading into the All-Star break and now they could have time to heal up for the second half of the season and the Spurs come in ranked in the top three and they are first in the southwest division.
