Spurs fielding trade calls for Parker

The Spurs are reportedly trying to move up in Thursday's draft in order to get Washington State SG Klay Thompson.
And now that this news is hopping all over the internet, assuming it's not a smokescreen, it's safe to say that Thompson's stock has gone up across the board. If we know one thing, it's that the Spurs rarely make mistakes on draft night.
Source: Mark Heislery on Twitter

@MHeislerLATimes Mark Heisler
FORGET 'RUMORED,' MYSTERY MAN SPURS WANT TO TRADE UP FOR IS DEFINITELY KLAY THOMPSON... Due in NY yesterday, detoured to SA to meet Pop, RC

Strengths: One of the top pure shooters on the college level ... Prolific outside shooter with a defined role for the NBA level ... Right hander who at 6'6 with long arms has good size for the NBA 2-guard position ... Shows an excellent feel having been around the game his entire life. Understands his limitations and plays within his game well ... Plays well off the ball. Stays active. Works hard to create scoring opportunities. Understands how to create shots for himself off the ball coming off screens ... Very good spot up shooter ... Comfortable handling the ball and can use the dribble to create shots ... Can use his left hand effectively ... Shows an advanced in between game with tear drops and the use of the glass ... Effectively uses pump fakes to draw defenders off balance ... Has perfect form on his shot and deep range. Squares to the basket. Quick, concise, fluid stroke with a high release ... Gets his shot off quickly and can do so without needing much space ... Exhibits prudent shot selection ... Large wingspan allows him to play more athletic than he appears. Can dunk on his defenders if he catches opponents napping ... Solid decision maker with a positive a/to ratio ... 1.6 steals per game as a senior showed his progression as a defender / anticipation ... Extremely level headed, doesn't show a great deal of emotion or get rattled easily ...

Weaknesses: An average athlete who plays below the rim ... He's a "momentum athlete" in the sense that he shows solid athleticism when he has momentum moving towards the rim ... Much better in the half court than in the open floor. His lack of elite athleticism gets exposed in the transition game ... Lacks great foot speed which inhibits his ability to take the ball off the dribble against quick defenders ... Recevied a one game suspension due to a marijuana possession charge, but scouts don't seem too concerned about that therefore it hasn't affected his stock much ... Long, athletic defenders can give him trouble ...

Notes: Was among the top 10 scorers in the nation as a junior at 22.1 ppg ... He's the son of former #1 overall pick Mychal Thompson (1978) ... Put up 43 points at Washington knocking down eight 3 point shots ...

While the Spurs deny it, comments from other teams make it look like Tony Parker is being shopped around like he is on QVC.

How serious those talks are is the question.

In the case of a Hoopsworld report, things got very close with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers nearly completed a blockbuster trade on Wednesday afternoon, but the deal fell apart in the late stages. San Antonio was prepared to ship Tony Parker and the #29 pick to Portland in exchange for Andre Miller, Nicolas Batum and the #21 pick, but the trade died when the Spurs insisted that Richard Jefferson somehow be included in the deal. Other players would have been included in the trade to make salaries work. Talks have quieted for now, but they could pick back up tomorrow if one of the teams has a change of heart.

While Hoopsworld says these talks are serious, other reports have the Spurs much more in the “gauging interest” phase.

Richard Jefferson is a key to a lot of the Parker trade discussions. Clearly the Spurs want to be rid of his contract ($30 million for three more seasons), but a lot of teams are balking at taking on that kind of contract heading into an unknown new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Spurs are seeing if anyone wants Parker badly enough to take Jefferson, too.

Parker and Jefferson are still rumored to be part of a deal for the No. 7 pick with Sacramento. Before that there was a Toronto rumor. In the hours running up to the draft expect more rumors. The Spurs can afford to shop Parker around because they have George Hill, who can very capably take over duties at the point for the Spurs. Of course, there are rumors the Spurs are shopping Hill, too…

Spurs deny shopping Tony Parker. Of course they do.

Kurt Helin

Jun 22, 2011, 4:44 PM EDT

And now we bring you the story that we all knew was coming today like we knew the sun would rise in the East and that Wednesday would be national chocolate éclair day. (What, you didn’t know about that?)

The San Antonio Spurs have denied they are shopping Tony Parker around.

This is required to be said, even as GMs pick up their cell phone calls to pitch a trade for that very player. It’s part of the trade dance. But here is the official report from the Express-News Spurs Blog.

“We’re not shopping anyone,” (Spurs GM R.C.) Buford said, via text message. “We’ve received calls on a lot of our guys and we’ve answered the phone….

But even in the same post, the Spurs writer shows that they are talking about a Parker trade.

An executive of a team not involved in the discussions said he had no knowledge that the Spurs were seeking deals for Parker, but confirmed the belief they were “gauging the interest” of teams that called about him.

A basketball executive of another team said the Spurs were unwilling to discuss trading Parker to the Raptors unless they agreed to also consider taking small forward Richard Jefferson.

That may be the real motive here (and likely the poison pill for any deal). Jefferson is due three years, $30.4 million left and the Spurs would love to get out from under that deal. Parker for a lottery pick never made a ton of sense to me because they could do better than that in this down draft year, but if they could shed Jefferson’s salary, too, things might look different.

Bottom line, don’t expect Parker to be moved, but don’t buy they are not talking trade, either.

ryno wrote:Let me be the first to welcome Kemba Walker to the Spurs.