The San Antonio Spurs have agreed in principle to a trade with the Seattle Supersonics for forward/center Kurt Thomas. At the surface, it appears that the move is not that big and will not impact the San Antonio Spurs all that much.

The truth however, is that this trade may be better than the Kidd and Shaq deals. The Shaq deal was pushed through by the Phoenix Suns because they felt the need for a true center to guard Andrew Bynum as Amare picks up Pau Gasol. Kidd to Dallas is an entirely different story with the purpose of running the offense. For San Antonio, this move is a great one.

Finally a team in the Western Conference has made the necessary move to compete with the Lakers. The Spurs saw that they may be weak in their front line and may have to play some defense against the now favorite Lakers. With the appearance of Kurt Thomas in the middle backing up Tim Duncan, the Spurs will have a stronger defensive line.

Yes, by trading away Brent Barry the Spurs may have given away their best three-point shooter, but the important lesson that we’ve all learned from the Spurs in their recent run of four championships is that DEFENSE WINS TITLES. The San Antonio Spurs are obviously prepared to prove this theory again.