The San Antonio Spurs are looking to climb out of the bottom of the NBA after three seasons of no playoffs back into contention for the postseason. They just drafted a generational prospect in Victor Wembanyama, who is expected to carry the torch of ‘franchise superstar’ that former No. 1 overall picks like David Robinson and Tim Duncan did.
The Spurs have an incredibly young team that has been assembled after a couple of years with lottery selections. They drafted really well in these seasons, adding key pieces like Devin Vassell (2020), Tre Jones (2020), and Jeremy Sochan (2022). The 2021 draft ended up going bust for the franchise, as they had to release talented youngster Joshua Primo for non-basketball reasons.
With a collection of young talent and the addition of Wembanyama, the Spurs have the potential of upsetting many top teams in the NBA this season. The average age of their starting lineup is 21.4, comfortably the youngest projected starting five next season.
Guard: Tre Jones
Guard: Devin Vassell
Forward: Keldon Johnson
Forward: Jeremy Sochan
Center: Victor Wembanyama
Their ceiling of making it to the playoffs will be determined by how Wembanyama performs and if he really is the generational prospect everyone believes him to be. If Wemby is a 25-point scorer out of the gates, the Spurs may need to make tweaks to their roster and add more veterans for a playoff push. Otherwise, their young core is likely to continue starting games for them.
With free agency ahead and the Spurs having $34.7 million in cap room, the team is likely going to see some veterans join the squad. Even if the targeted players aren’t elite options, it’ll help the team hit the salary floor (90% of the $136 million cap figure) before the start of the season. Those additions could likely change the lineup, particularly at point guard, with Jones also entering free agency this summer.
The Spurs Not Looking To Rush Their Rebuild
After the selection of Wembanyama, the franchise will be under pressure to be good as soon as possible. But the Spurs have never operated under the expectations other people have for them. Gregg Popovich’s success is inherently linked to his own philosophies of building out his rosters with time instead of short-sighted moves that hurt long-term flexibility. His Spurs’ were vaulted to success early in the Tim Duncan era due to having David Robinson already and because Duncan was an All-NBA caliber star almost immediately.
The team shouldn’t be expected to make big money moves for superstars in the summer nor be linked to trading for them. A possible target we see join the squad is Fred VanVleet, as he is a veteran championship-winning point guard known for his grit and leadership. His experience and talent can be the first step towards the Spurs returning to contention in the NBA. VanVleet averaged 19.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in a disappointing season with the Raptors but still holds value around the league due to his two-way ability and seamless locker-room fit.
How Many Free Agents Come Back?
The Spurs have five players entering free agency. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Keita Bates-Diop, Gorgui Dieng, Romeo Langford, and Tre Jones will all be testing the market from Friday onwards. The Spurs are likely to bring back Jones, their second-round pick from 2020 who has developed into a solid point guard. He may not be ready for a regular starting role, so the Spurs will hope to have him as a backup alongside any veteran guards they could end up with. He averaged 12.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists this season, starting 65 games.
The other free agents are likely going to find new homes, with Keita Bates-Diop an interesting option for San Antonio to bring back. He averaged just 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21.7 minutes but provides a versatile frontcourt option to keep on the bench.
The Spurs’ current payroll for next season is at $84.2 million, meaning the team needs to add $38.2 million in salary to reach the salary floor set at $122.4 million. An extension for Jones could eat some of that cap and leave the Spurs with plenty to fill out their rotation for an interesting season where they could rise into the playoffs to remain in the Draft lottery.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
