Doug McDermott Showcases Trade Value in Late Surge vs. 76ers
When the San Antonio Spurs (2-1) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (0-3) at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, an important contributor was veteran NBA sharpshooter Doug McDermott.
McDermott finished with 14 points on the night, with all of his scoring production coming in the fourth quarter alone. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich credited McDermott's late flurry for San Antonio's 112-104 victory.
“He was basically our offense, especially down the stretch,” Popovich said. “He doesn’t make those shots, we’re in trouble. They cranked up their defense. They did a good job. They were attacking us at the other end and scoring. If he wasn’t doing that, we wouldn’t have won the game.”
The performance that McDermott provided the Spurs late was a great display of what the team needs from him. When there is a spark needed offensively, his tough 3-point shot making offers a great option to rely upon.
“My role is to come in and provide a spark and make those shots,” McDermott said. “Either I come in and do that or run around and allow guys to get free for shots. That's what the coaches tell me to do. So, if I can do that, I'm going to. And we needed that tonight."
McDermott was largely neutralized in the Spurs' win over the Indiana Pacers as he scored just three points on 1-3 shooting from the floor. However, he's averaging 9.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 17.7 minutes per game through three games. Most impressive of all, he's shooting 63.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Given the lack of trade interest teams had in McDermott over the summer, could they rethink things if he continues to shoot at such a high clip from beyond the arc? His contract isn't the greatest value as he's signed for $13.75 million annually through 2023-24, but regardless, his skill-set could be intriguing to a team in a pinch for some shooting.
One team that stands out as a potential trade partner is the Los Angeles Lakers, who still are seemingly in the gradual tailspin of the Russell Westbrook experience. The Spurs have a variety of veteran talents that would improve the Lakers in a trade in exchange for draft capital to take on Westbrook's $47.1 million expiring salary.
Other teams would undoubtedly benefit from adding a sharpshooter like McDermott. Again, the financial situation makes it more challenging as a midseason trade for a lot of teams to facilitate. With injuries and shortcomings, the landscape could shift to open up the market.
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