Spurs Start Julian Champagnie Over Harrison Barnes as NBA Trade Deadline Approaches

Spurs development darling Julian Champagnie replaced veteran wing Harrison Barnes in the starting five, a smart basketball move that also might signal that San Antonio is in the market for a bigger deal at the NBA trade deadline.

Champagnie had been filling in for Devin Vassell who missed time with an injury, and came off the bench in his previous two games back. When it came time to put Vassell back in the starting unit, San Antonio kept Champagnie with the starters and sent Barnes to the bench.

"We've had a lot of guys in and out of the lineup," Mitch Johnson said. "It was just ... trying to get Devin (Vassell) into the role he was in before. Not a lot to it other than that."

There are plenty of on-court reasons for replacing an older, colder shooter with a younger, hotter one, but Champagnie’s contract makes him a necessary part of the rotation through next season while Barnes’ makes him a necessary part of any trade the Spurs make to acquire a large contract.

Barnes is a grinder who hasn’t come off the bench since the year his Warriors visited the Barack Obama at the White House as defending champions and won 73 games.

The 33-year-old ironman has played 351 games in a row, and he started in each of his 775 regular season games since January 14, 2016. San Antonio truly values Barnes’ play, durability and championship experience, but his expiring contract would be needed in any move that sends draft picks out in exchange for a star player.

Barnes’ salary of exactly $19 million is the single largest expiring deal the Spurs have on the books. Jeremy Sochan is out of the rotation and reportedly looking for a new home at the deadline, and Kelly Olynyk’s expiring contract worth $13,445,122 was always seen as valuable in a potential mid-season consolidation deal.

San Antonio can create $39,541,353 in expiring money by combining those three players in a trade. They could use that to match a sizable salary and send out multiple picks in exchange for a star player.

The Spurs are probably not looking to make any splashy moves that limit their long-term flexibility before they give the roster a chance to show what they truly need. Still, the benching of Barnes signals that they’re preparing for a future without him, and the timing may indicate the degree to which they’re considering all of their options.

Speaking of flexibility, Champagnie provides a ton of it on the basketball court and on the balance sheet.

The undrafted 24-year-old filled in admirably for Devin Vassell who missed a majority of the month. He’s made more triples this season than any Spur this season by almost 30. In a vacuum it would make sense to have him play over Barnes, who started this season hot from deep but has cooled off significantly and managed just 26.7% during a cold January for San Antonio.

The Spurs need space for Victor Wembanyama and the slashing guards inside, and Julian punishes defenses that sag off. He’s a strong, switchable defender and willing rebounder, and he can get red hot as he did on New Year’s Eve when he set a new franchise record with 11 made threes.

Champagnie also happens to be on one of the most team-friendly deals in the NBA, with the Spurs all but guaranteed to exercise their team option to pay him $3 million next season. That’s when De’Aaron Fox’s max extension kicks in, followed by Wembanyama, Castle, and Harper, making it vital for San Antonio to get as much production as they can from guys who make up a tiny percentage of the salary cap.

They’ve developed a prime example in Champagnie, who has made himself indispensable. He has an ironman streak of his own going, playing in his 150th consecutive contest in the game against the Hornets.

In the first game of his new streak as a starter, Champagnie shot 4-5 from deep and added 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Barnes played 25 minutes off the bench and went 3-5 from deep, hitting big shots in the fourth quarter and closing the game as San Antonio mounted a valiant comeback effort that fell short against the hottest team in the NBA.

Despite his contract situation Barnes hasn’t been reported as being on the trading block, and even if he isn’t in the long-term plans the Spurs would probably still love to have the championship veteran along for the ride they’re about to go on this postseason. He’d do well in a bench role, and compliments Luke Kornet well as a 4. He's a wonderful presence in the locker room and a generous philanthropist in San Antonio even though he's only been here a few years.

The Spurs are set up to contend for the majority of Wembanyama’s career if they resist temptation and move patiently. Guys like Champagnie are crucial for a team that would prefer to stay at the table for as long as possible rather than go all in.

That context makes it seem unlikely that the methodical Spurs will trade for a star with a hefty long-term salary, but if the right roster upgrade comes their way it could push their title window wide open. It would probably take that sort of return to include Barnes in any trade.