The trade deadline is approaching and the Spurs find themselves in an interesting position. It’s unclear whether they’ll be aggressive buyers but it would be surprising to see them be sellers, at least when it comes to their rotation players. They have weaknesses but stability seems to be one of their priorities this year.
Tre Jones is the one player regularly getting minutes that they could part ways with in a decision that could make sense for both parties. He has seen his role shrink this season and while he’s helpful, he doesn’t seem essential. The Spurs shouldn’t just try to get rid of him, but they should definitely make him available.
Jones could help a lot of teams but is superfluous on the Spurs
Jones is a nice player with one major flaw: he can’t shoot. Still, there’s value to what he brings to the table. The Spurs have been significantly better with him on the floor this season, a trend that continues from the two years prior. He’s too small to be a stopper on defense but he avoids being a liability by being physical and quick, and he’s great at running the offense without turning the ball over while still pushing the pace when possible and driving to the rim when a lane is there.
So why would the Spurs trade him? It has to do with the current guard rotation. Jones and Chris Paul are too small as a duo to be stout defensively and while they can coexist on offense, both are better when they can be the main orchestrator and set their preferred pace. They can survive in certain matchups, but there’s a reason beyond Jones’ injury woes why they have only shared the floor for 75 total minutes this season. Jones has paired well with Stephon Castle in a bigger sample size, as the rookie is still learning how to be a primary ball handler, but with Paul playing 29 minutes a game and Castle needing reps running point to continue to improve, there’s not much room for Jones to leave his mark in the game. He’s averaging the ninth most minutes per game on the team (almost eight fewer than the eighth man) while his usage has plummeted.
Then there’s Blake Wesley and Malaki Branham. There’s barely room for Jones in the rotation, so the two young guards are completely out of it and there’s no reasonable way except for injuries to see that changing. Neither has done much to suggest they should be getting minutes, but the Spurs picked up their options for next season. Now, that doesn’t mean they are in their future plans — their salaries are tiny and could likely be dumped easily — but it seems sensible to at least give them a shot this year before potentially entering a 2025/26 season with higher expectations and two still untested young depth pieces around. If the point of this season is to figure out who belongs and who doesn’t to make informed decisions in the summer, allowing Wesley and Branham to have few but consistent minutes for half a season to show they have improved feels smart.
Jones offers solid bench play and potential savings to whoever trades for him
Jones is not someone who would even in ideal circumstances net a first-rounder or a quality young player on a trade, but he could fetch a second-rounder or a depth piece at a less crowded position. But what’s the market for him, teams that are interested in his skills or in his expiring contract? Fortunately, it could be both.
Normally, getting a player at the deadline on an expiring contract could mean getting a rental, but the way the market has recently treated small guards suggests it wouldn’t be hard to re-sign Jones. Tre’s brother Tyus entered unrestricted free agency last offseason after a career year, but there were no big offers for him, so he had to sign with the Suns for the minimum. Another small guard who settled for scraps was Jose Alvarado. The Pelicans’ sparkplug was headed to restricted free agency but instead agreed to a two-year, $9 million extension with a player option for the 2026/27 season to get guaranteed money. Guys like Payton Pritchard and T.J. McConnel play big roles for their teams and make under eight figures. The point is, if a team is interested in trading and then re-signing Jones, they shouldn’t have much competition and could get a bargain.
Some franchises might be more interested in Jones’ expiring contract than his skills, and the Spurs’ cap situation makes them the perfect trade partner if that’s the case. San Antonio is not projected to have cap space this upcoming offseason but has a few sizable contracts set to expire in 2026, so taking someone with two years left in his deal for Jones shouldn’t be an issue. The Silver and Black can also offer immediate savings. Because they don’t face any trade restrictions, they can send out Jones’ $9.1 million contract and take in around $16 million while not coming even close to the luxury tax, much less the first apron. A team looking to cut its tax bill or get under the apron could get a legitimate rotation player while still accomplishing its financial goals by trading for Jones.
Jones doesn’t look like a good trade asset at first glance, but he’s a helpful player who could be had for cheap, could help clear salary this year and going forward, and can likely be re-signed to a team-friendly deal if he impresses. It would not be surprising if other franchises at least inquire about him if the Spurs make him available.
There’s a good case for why they should. They won’t get a blue chip asset back but he could fetch them a pick or a depth piece at a less crowded position and it could allow them to play younger guys who have a contract that extends past this season. If the idea is to shake things up a little without taking big risks, moving Jones could be the right decision.
