A fatal flaw the Spurs must fix at the 2025 NBA trade deadline

After winning NBA Rookie of the Year, it was confirmed Victor Vembanyama is the next big thing. With a blue-chip prospect on their hands, the Spurs have their work cut out for them to build a dynasty around their towering phenom. However, Vembanjam alone is not enough. In fact, the team often finds itself in a ditch whenever he’s not on the floor. As a result, Spurs must address their need to find a suitable back-up for Vembanyama. As the trade deadline approaches, the Spurs have a chance to fix that.

Spurs need a big man behind Victor Wembanyama

Outside of Wembanyama, Spurs don’t appear to have much help at center. Although Zach Collins put up great numbers in 2022-23 and 2023-24, it’s time for the franchise to move on from him. The 6-foot-11 Gonzaga is having his worst season since coming to San Antonio. Currently, he is averaging just 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 27.3% from the bench.

Aside from his terrible season so far, it didn’t help that he sparked a wild moment against the Sacramento Kings last December. The Spurs big man made a rude gesture after being sent off in the second quarter. His actions resulted in a $35,000 fine, according to the report by the NBA. Unfortunately, that was Collins’ biggest moment of the year, which doesn’t look good.

In addition to Collins, Charles Bassey has yet to return to full fitness. The 6-foot-10 center from Western Kentucky is averaging just 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per outing while shooting 56.8% from the field overall. It’s safe to say that Bessie is still trying to fulfill her backup duties. It is worth noting that he showed himself worthy of Vembanyama’s backup before the knee injury.

There’s no doubt Bessie’s hustle and energy is valuable to this hungry Spurs team. However, a torn ACL has derailed his career and the Spurs should put him on the watch list before fully integrating him as the main backup center. To give Bessie some time to fully recover, an extra body at center should ease the Spurs’ concerns.

Building around Victor Vembanyama

Vembanjama is a generational talent. However, he still can’t do it alone. In the offseason, the Spurs decided to make some moves that would add more experience to their roster. They have won NBA All-Star Chris Paul 12 times and 2015 NBA Champion Harrison Barnes. Since then, those moves have seemed to help the Spurs compete for a playoff spot.

However, San Antonio should not be satisfied with a competitive roster. They also have to take risks to maximize Vembanyama’s rising stardom by surrounding him with the best possible pieces. Obviously, this also means giving him a reliable backup center to play while he takes a break from the bench.

The team has already taken a step in the right direction by adding an elite playmaker like CP3 to make life easier for the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year. It’s also a good sign that Devin Vassell, Jeremi Sochan and Stephon Castle are also developing well alongside Wembanyama. But if the Spurs want to make their current team more potent, a reliable backup big man with experience could fill a glaring hole on their roster.

Potential trade with the Toronto Raptors

Spurs receive: Jakob Poeltl ($19.5 million)

Raptors get: Zach Collins ($16.7 million) and Blake Wesley ($2.6 million)

By now, everyone has figured out that the Spurs are better off moving on from Zach Collins as the resident backup big man. To fill the void while Bessey makes a full recovery, bringing in a familiar face like Jakob Poeltl could be the right thing for San Antonio. Poeltl is having the best season of his career with the Toronto Raptors. The 7-foot-0 center has career averages of 14.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game on 60.5% shooting from the floor.

As a nine-year NBA veteran, Poeltl should return to the Spurs organization with more experience behind him. Adapting to the Spurs system shouldn’t be a problem either, given his familiarity. Furthermore, his traditional interior style of play as a center could pave the way for San Antonio to deploy the twin-tower combination of Wembanyama and Poeltl. Both centers should have an inside-outside game that could prove deadly.

In exchange for Poeltl, the Spurs can finally release Collins and use Blake Wesley as a go-between. Wesley showed positive signs last year, but this year he shot the ball at a terrible rate for San Antonio. The Spurs point guard makes only 19% of his three-pointers, which has become a liability on offense. Both young players would fit perfectly into the Raptors’ rebuilding plans.