ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Milwaukee Bucks are sending Patrick Baldwin Jr. to the San Antonio Spurs. Cash is included in the deal, heading SA’s direction. It has yet to be revealed what the Spurs are sending back in return, but we will update you once those details come in.

Milwaukee is trading Patrick Baldwin Jr. and cash to San Antonio, sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025

Patrick Baldwin Jr. has been an injury-prone player in his young career. He’s a third-year forward who has never played more than 38 games in a season and, so far, has only played 22 games this year. His career averages are 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. I’m not certain why the Spurs felt the need to make this move, but let’s hope it’s a precursor for something greater.

Spurs need shooters on the wing

The Spurs really need guys who can knock down shots with consistency on the perimeter. That was supposed to be a specialty for Baldwin Jr. coming out of college, but he hasn’t been on the floor enough to bring that value. He shot 38% from three during his rookie season on 2.7 attempts but only played in 31 games.

He played 38 games in his sophomore year and only knocked down 32% of his threes on 2.6 attempts per game. This season, he’s shooting 52.4% from deep, but that’s on one attempt a night, playing 4.6 minutes per game. The front office has to know Baldwin Jr. would be a project. His draft profile was less than flattering, and his career thus far has been lackluster at best.

The move allows the Bucks more flexibility to make additional moves after acquiring Baldwin Jr. from the Washington Wizards in their Kyle Kuzma for Khris Middleton deal. That’s right. Patrick didn’t even play for Milwaukee. He was a throw-in player to help those teams complete a transaction for more talented guys.

It’s not his fault that he’s been injured so often, but the Spurs shouldn’t make it their problem. But I can’t imagine that’s the case. It would be a little too similar to the Zach Collins and Charles Bassey storylines. Both players had injury issues before coming to the Spurs and while Collins got healthy enough to play, it still didn’t work out.

The difference with Collins, however, is that analysts raved about him coming out of Gonzaga. The same cannot be said for Baldwin Jr. Bassey is a stronger defensive presence than Collins, but he seems to end up injured time after time, no matter what he does.

Again, the Spurs know this. So, I don’t believe they’re done making moves. There are two hours to go before the trade deadline at the time this was written. Let’s hope to see another move to add shooting, a backup center, or a combination of the two to this roster.

Update:

Over on Bluesky, @mikefinger reports the Spurs will be waiving Baldwin Jr.

This means the team will still have an open roster spot https://t.co/4TKWVkoWS8

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) February 6, 2025