Thomas-Barry-Elson Trade:Old Friends with Money

More details have come out about the Spurs trade last night that sent Brent Barry and Francisco Elson to Seattle for Kurt Thomas. Turns out that: a) the trade might not have been just about getting a big defender, and b) it may have helped that Seattle's coach and GM are both former Spurs employees.

Johnny Ludden writes:

So it has gone for the West. You got Gasol? We’re getting Shaq. Well, we just landed Jason Kidd. The Utah Jazz’s earlier pickup of Kyle Korver already has proven to be a season-changing transaction. The San Antonio Spurs, rarely prone to making in-season trades, realized they better step up in size and acquired rugged center Kurt Thomas from the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday for Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and their 2009 first-round draft pick.

The trade could have further implications for the conference. The Sonics are expected to waive Barry, possibly freeing the sharp-shooting guard to sign with a rival like Golden State or Phoenix once his calf injury heals.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, frustrated by the Memphis Grizzlies’ decision to send Gasol to the Lakers for little more than a pair of first-round picks and a promising young guard, had jokingly proposed creating an NBA committee to negate all trades “that make no sense.” Lakers coach Phil Jackson, noting that Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo and GM Sam Presti both worked for the Spurs last season, couldn’t resist a jab of his own Wednesday.

Thomas is “very efficient as a player,” Jackson said, grinning. “So there’s no doubt about the fact that PJ would send him on over to San Antonio without any hesitation.”

* * * * *By acquiring Thomas, the Spurs get some needed size to help them counter Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal and Houston’s Yao Ming. They also are expected to drop under the luxury-tax threshold, possibly saving them about $2 million. In exchange, San Antonio will send the Sonics a portion of the savings.

Spurs fans are generally optimistic about the trade for Thomas. We here at SpursDynasty think that the trade improves the team by at least eight percent, give or take a point or two.