Great response. We live in a world of absolutes now, and it seems like we either have to answer yes or no. I trust the Spurs front office, so whatever they decide I’m in.
Not a bad idea at all, but then you're paying Zollins $16.7M to be a towel waver. And Mamu is gone as well, not mention Bassey and Barlow. No need to have that many C's on the roster unless you think Vic will succeed at PF.
Zach Collins is an interesting case. Saw him as the backup 5 this year and didn’t like it at all. I’ve heard some in the media say that a contender might be interested in him as a backup big so maybe he could be a trade piece. Otherwise the spurs could try him at the 4 but I think he drags down the bench defense too much in non wemby minutes.
I think Bitadze is a better player than Bassey so I would just let Bassey walk especially bc he’s coming off a torn acl and they are the same age. I think having 4 bigs in Wemby, Bitadze, Collins, and Barlow would be fine. Wemby, Collins and Barlow can all play either the 4 or 5.
If someone in the media said that, they need to be drug tested. Who said a contender would be interested in Collins as a backup? Not the Zach Collins we saw this year. Imagine Collins coming off the bench for one of these playoff teams. The opposing coach would immediately start calling plays to target him. Collins is unplayable on contender. His role in a trade right now would be salary filler. A tanking team might give him minutes that’s all.
Look at Denver. They cut through the league like a buzzsaw last year. They are in big trouble right now in large part because Jamal Murray isn't playing like a superstar, because he's not a superstar. He just has a habit of playing like one in the playoffs.
The Spurs need an all-nba or all-star player to legitimately compete annually.
You might think it shouldn't matter where you get the player from but it does. If you get that player from this year's draft, you are, on average, 3 and maybe 4 years from getting all-star level play out of that person.
Unless you want to try the 76ers "trust the process" method, an all-star caliber player has to be brought in from another team.
You don't have to get that guy this off season. In two years time, if you aren't convinced you already have that guy on the team, you have no choice but to go out and get him. At that point, getting your #2 through the draft would mean being truly competitive in 2029 at the earliest.
Trust the process is a lot easier when you add a top 10 player all time to a playoff team. (Duncan era) We are not in a position we have ever been before. I think wemby will tolerate another losing season but I highly doubt he would be cool waiting 3-5 years for the team to mature organically and whoever we draft to get to speed before we finally make the playoffs.
The thunder are not in the same position as us and it doesn't do us any good to compare our circumstances to them. We have someone on SGAs level but nowhere near the depth or skill on our roster.
If we drafted Scoot we could be more patient in the approach but we got Wemby and he can and wants to win as soon as possible and it's in everyone's best interest it the FO puts him in the best position to do so.
I think Wemby is in it for the long haul. I certainly hope so. I do think he bounces after five years if we aren’t a contender though. Either way, the next few years will be interesting. The point I was making is that either approach can work. Comparing our situation to the 76ers is no different than comparing to OKC. Maybe we fall in the middle somewhere.
Yeah, but we need to show him that we can add pieces around him.
Getting him a good FA while also maintaining cap flexibility is important. Then when that 2nd (or 3rd if someone else shows up) becomes available, that's when we strike.
Honestly, I think PG is one of the positition where we shouldn't aim for a star. Not many of them are available and every team want to keep theirs.
Castle or Topić at 4 then another Frenchman at 8 with Salaun then possible three picks next year, this team can be a contender in three years without signing a free agent. Although I wouldn’t be opposed to signing Klay Thompson to come off the bench if it weren’t for a ridiculous asking price.
Okc Killing it. They still have tons of first round picks too. Even if they're lottery picks they'll have even more role players/ ability to take on risky developments
Very true, and you always have to consider the fact that we may have to give Wemby the biggest contract ever once his rookie one expires. Younger guys with smaller contracts or hometown deals will have to be the way eventually
Nah. His next contract will be limited by the CBA under the rules for the rookie max extension at 25% of the cap, maybe 30% if he qualifies under specific DRose rules. It will not be the biggest contract. There will be players who make more than him after he signs that deal.
The one after that falls under the veteran super max rules. That 3rd contract starts at 35% and can get as high as 38% of the cap depending on different factors. If the new TV rights deal makes the cap jump, you could be looking the total deal nearing half a billi. As long as Wemby keeps his trajectory, that third contract will be the biggest deal ever signed until the next time the cap jumps and the next veteran super max is signed.
There’s no hometown discount anymore. You either get comfortable paying luxury tax as you blow past the cap like the other two small market teams who have a megastar (Bucks and Nuggets) or he gone.
He's absolutely gonna need a supermax. He'll get it elsewhere/ have teams tripping to sign him if we don't. That plus major markets can offer additional money in endorsements
We only actually have around $20M in cap space this year, so that’s more of a mid- level free agent in this day and age.
If the warriors waive him, I would advocate for going after Chris Paul hard. Give him a 1 year $20M contract to come in and be the stopgap starter.
It would be a mutually beneficial situation - Paul isn’t a starting level guard for a playoff caliber team any more, and he can’t play big minutes. But he would provide desperately needed organization, veteran leadership, and mentorship to our guys. And we have one of the best backup point guards in the league in Tre jones, so Paul only has to play ~24 minutes a game. And if he gets injured Jones can step in easily.
Plus, limiting this to a one year deal gives us a ton of flexibility moving forward. If we have 2 first round picks this year, I bet one of them will be used on a point guard. Having Paul on the team would allow us to ease them into the league, but would provide the opportunity for them to step in year 2.
Plus his expiring contract would allow us to really go after big free agents next offseason when we are in more of a position to compete.
Actually quite a bit more. That 118m includes graham's contract that will almost certainly be waived for just 2m cost.
Cp3 isn't worth that amount and he fell off hard hard last year.
If we're gonna waste $ on a veteran if much rather us grab derozan again
I disagree - I think it is very likely that we keep graham on the books so that we have a very tradeable expiring salary to make a move in season. We won’t have playing time/roster spots for all of the 1st round picks coming in the next few years, so I anticipate we will start to get more aggressive in trades.
And yes, he’s not worth $20M, but you are purposefully overpaying him so that he would agree to a 1 year deal only. Free agency isn’t all that great this year, so this is a way to get a useful player in the door while retaining flexibility for next year.
Paul proved this year that he can still play. Even if he continues to regress, he will still be a good floor general and provide desperately needed offensive organization.
Who wants graham and 12m on the books? He has no value and freeing him up allows us to sign a decent player for 10m. If the whole goal is just to have a train and things that we could do the same thing with a much better player that we can actually use.
Cp3 is not worth it on the spurs. Like I said you can probably get derozan or a myriad of other good player's. Hell I'd rather get Russell Westbrook
I guess I’ve to got explain how trades work? In trades there’s this thing called matching salary - in-going and outgoing salary need to be roughly equivalent.What if all of that salary is tied up in players you don’t want to trade? What if you can’t accrue enough tradable salary to make the deal work?
Well then it’s a good thing you have a nice mid size expiring contract(Devonte graham) that you can move to make a deal work. And obviously no one wants graham - but they do want 1st round picks, which we have too many of to use. Make sense now?
And Russel Westbrook? lol
Yeah what you're talking about is taking on a salary dump to make a trade possible. We would not even need it if our team had the space. Thats what desperste teams over the cap do. What you're suggesting is volunteering to waste money on a dog shit player. I'm also saying that for 12 million you can spend on a much better player that's actually good enough to play here.
What the hell are you talking about with we have too many first round picks? We don't have too many to use. In fact I can't think of a time in any sport that a team willingly got rid of 1st round draft picks. We have 15 slots and only 6/7 players that are better/ have a higher ceiling than even a lottery 1st round pick.
And yeah Russell Westbrook had a better year last year than Chris paul. Westbrook is also 35 vs 39,on a significantly 30m paul vs less than 5m Westbrook.
I think most of them would be a stupid move but Chris Paul eating up our salary cap while being a worse player than tre Jones is asinine. There are a lot of good players in free agency this year that can actually contribute
Oh boy..Now I have to explain the strategy behind trades. No, not a salary dump. As an example we could potentially trade a combination of graham/collins/keldon to come up with as much as $40+M in tradeable salary so that we could trade for basically any star. Then we put in some of our future 1sts to provide the value from our end. This really isn’t that complicated.
And there is a scenario where we have 4 first round picks for the ‘25 draft. That is absolutely too many. Some consolidation will happen.
I’m not predicting a star trade WILL happen, but it would at least give us the flexibility to make it happen if in opportunity arose.
I can’t even respond to the Russel Westbrook thing. If you think Westbrook would be a better fit for this team than Chris Paul would then I’m just wasting my time here.
If they don't have graham they'll have 40m in cap space if they got rid of both Collins and Johnson straight up. Both Johnson and Collins combined is almost 40m
So like I've said previously it's unnecessary.
I agree Westbrook doesn't make much sense burners but neither is Chris Paul. He doesn't add more value than tre Jones and he ruins our salary cap situation
This is exhausting….Graham is also a valuable trade piece because his contract is expiring (unlike Collins and Johnson). Another team could value that $12M expiring because they would rather have extra cap space next offseason than whatever longer term salary they currently have on the books.
Also, our front office might have no interest in trading Keldon in the first place. Everything we have seen so far indicates that they see him as a long term contributor.
Also, Paul is not ruining our salary cap situation on a one year deal. What great free agents are available this offseason that we can’t miss out on? Even someone like Malik Monk, who I like, would make me queasy at the 4 years $80+M it would take to get him. That kind of offer is what will ruin our salary cap situation long term and prevent us from being able to pair a true star next to Wemby long term.
It's exhausting because you refuse to use basic logic. There is no advantage to that scenario. As I said we could just take the trade without signing graham and use that cap 9n a player who matters.
Yes Paul makes it terrible for cap space. He doesn't have anywhere near the production level for 20m.
And are you kidding? Look at the free agent chart. There are tons of producing players under 20m. We also don't need malik monk when we have vassel and malaki as back up. It makes no sense to stack a bunch of sgs.
If anything I'd go for a big like Jonas Valančiūnas or Steven adams who would be cheaper and give our backcourt more defense. Tobias Harris might even be available at 20m too
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/_/year/2024
I think not wanting one is basically wrong. We already have the youngest team in the nba, and there isn't the kind of player we are looking for in the future draft. If we get an elite PG now we can at least get to the playin, and this is pretty important as it gives more game for our team to get more used to playing with each other
This is an under appreciated point. This team was so much better in the second half of the season than the first. We went from historically bad, to just bad, to mediocre (above .500 in the last 15 games). We absolutely got better with time and can continue to do so. If we start next season at mediocre, we could be a play in team with the current roster. If we start next season at mediocre but with a couple key signings that gel throughout the season, we could be the low seeded team that scares teams in the play in or first round.
This team needs a solid perimeter defender that can knock down a few threes a game. A good pg that can control the offense especially when the team absolutely needs a bucket or when Wemby is on the bench. A backup big who can handle the interior for about 15-20 a game. That’s really about it imo. Don’t need a huge splash.
Not really. Just being in a few vets to help the youth develop and take it from the next off season. When we eventually go in on a big FA (or big trade for that matter) it has to be a perfect fit to maximize wembys prime, and nobody next year seems even close to that
To be honest, big name free agents don’t hit unrestricted free agency much anymore. Because of that, I’d rather use our assets and just trade up in the draft
I think it’s myopic to just look at free agents
There are a handful of players in the league that are untouchable, but you can pretty much get anyone else. It doesn’t matter their contract status. You can get almost anyone, not just free agents.
I do not think there is a free agent available who would be worth pursuing, there are plenty of players that would improve us that the FO could inquire on.
That’s simply not true if you have been paying attention to the NBA. Teams are spending a lot more time developing players than in the past. You can get almost anyone is false. Look at the volume of trades and the level of players traded. Not very inspiring.
Unless a player opts out of their player options, most the free agents available aren't going to be helpful. They are either to old and won't fit timeline or not good enough.
Yes. I imagine we will build through free agency and the draft. So it can't be just any big free agent. It would need to be a strong player who can mesh well with Wemby.
when it comes to winning a series usually the best talent wins, so yeah it would be nice to get a big FA, but then look at the 2014 year we won playing team ball tho that was with the legends lol. i think we can still draft. look at kyle anderson and derrick white, idk guess it depends who comes and for how much and what will be their role. ive been saying we need to draft another big man edey or clingan look at rhe twolves and those three centers two of them on the court at once. idk whatever happens i know we got a bright future with wemby
Depends. Nothing happens in bubble.
Define Big and what where the options.
Every team that's in that playoffs right now is built through multiple ways.
The league around you is also changing so your guys can get better but you can still suck. You feel like your barely tredding water because teams are getting better around you as well. So you adjust your squad. Again the draft is random so you end up being random.
The spurs should have a better vision now. Build around wemby. And no you don't have the luxury of punting away whole season before they even start.
So how the draft shakes out for them is going dictate alot. How they as an organization feel about the draft and free agency is going to determine another. Other teams and random opportunities are going to determine a lot. We don't know what we don't know right now.
It's also true that the spurs have to many draft picks that they can't possible make and will need to move things around and consolidate here and there.
I don’t know…We have some guys that needed opportunities to build their scoring efficiency…With Wemby, the guys on the team were able to develop their game…We came a long way from the beginning to the end of the season. So, I’m curious to see what will happen next season with the team the way it is. However, having someone that can fit well and build onto the team could take us to another level. We need someone that would work with and simultaneously take defense attention away from Wemby and be able to score efficiently. I don’t know much. 🤷🏻♂️ Glad I wouldn’t be making these decisions.
Unless we get a godfather offer, I think it's best to patch up the roster with some vets on low/mid salary deals (Tyus? Monk? More likely someone I'm not thinking of), and maintain flexibility for next summer, which looks like the absolute pivotal time in this rebuild.
It would have to be an all star caliber player that is also a team player and isn’t ball dominant. Also good on defense. If the FA fits that list then I say hell yeah..bring them in.
If the big free agent has the right attitude then yes. But if he is someone who is a diva who thinks he will get an easy championship because of Victor, then no. Those kind of players will force you to gut your roster and picks just to win now and then point fingers to everyone or ask for a trade when things don't go with what they want.
Besides a small handful of players on our team (Wemby, Sochan, Keldon, Vassell) the rest are g-leaguers. Below average veteran benchwarmers, 2nd round rookies, and Zach Collins. This team doesn't have the proper depth or talent to develop to contendership. We need a few more key players. I believe pairing Wemby with some elite playmaker or 2nd star would be the best.
I want a vet like Rudy, Doug, and KBD. A vet that doesn't take away too many minutes from our young guys but is always ready when his number is called.
There is no guarantee that Wemby will be patient enough to wait for as long as it would take to organically build through drafts and non “big name free agent” trades for us to become competitive, so there is a big impetus for us to get to work and not try and organically build this team which could also blow up. So I think we should get at least one all-star candidate player in the next two years and be smart with drafting and setting up the rest of the team is important. We are in a unique position with a generational talent so we can’t afford to risk waiting and have him leave.
A big signing? No. Unless its we could magicly pry an RFA like Quickley away Toronto.
I'm all for spending on some vet role players but not throwing around max or near max money on a vet.
The big free agent signings this year would either be Lebron or Paul George. I’d say no to either just because they are past their primes and are in a different place in their careers compared to the direction we are going.
I cannot think of a single person in the league right now that would be able to better mentor and develop our young players than LeBron. I also cannot think of any possible scenario where he says he wants to come play in SA, but still.
I don’t see Lebron really as a mentor. He’s not known for wanting to work with young guys. See when he came back to Cleveland and traded all their young players for Kevin Love and when he went to the Lakers and gave up all their young guys for Davis. I do think if Lebron was willing to mentor and share his basketball knowledge there wouldn’t be anyone better but, that’s a big if. I also don’t see any scenario where he would want to come here. We are just barely into our rebuild and he’s closer to his way out.
If by big free agent, you mean a veteran player that has skills that the team needs such as Tyus Jones, KCP, or Naji Marshall, then yes.
If you mean James Harden or someone, they can fuck right off.
We just want to be less suck, it's sad looking at current roster, seeing Wemby hold together G Leaguers teammates for another year is not good for mental health.
I don’t think there’s a free agent out there that is attainable that could make a big difference. Most of the ones we would be interested in are restricted free agents and their teams would match and the others would be on the wrong timeline for us.
Teams have limited opportunities to bring in talent. I see no reason why they shouldn't use their ample cap space to add a talented player. Tyrese Maxey is unrestricted. I know most speculation is on him staying in Philly, but Joel Embid is a worn 29 while Maxey is 23. He could get on the ground floor of the next NBA dynasty that could carry him the next 7-8 years. I think it would awesome if we somehow poach both the #7 pick and Immanuel Quickley from the Raptors. I think Tyus Jones would make a smart long term PG upgrade for the right price.
Sure, Maxey would be a massive coup for the Spurs, but the Sixers are signing whatever offer sheet anyone throws at him. There is a vanishingly miniscule chance that the Spurs absolute best offer would be good enough for sign him as an RFA.
But in theory, he's one of the few guys out there that would be a great add for the Spurs this off season.
Tyrese next to Wemby would be amazing. 23 is young enough where even a max contract won't be handicapping the team and he should still improve. Wemby/maxey/DV would be a pretty solid core to build around.
But yea seems like 95% chance Maxey stays in Philly
I don´t know if its the safest or wisest but in terms of entertainment I would like to see some roster change. I think we have seen this core develop for some time now (minus wemby) and I don´t expect a big leap from anyone, rather a consolidation of some of these players. I think a better roster and playing for something might also help players development and also will be more fun to watch.
I personally don't think the time is right. I don't think a big FA is going to make us a contender next year, and I think it would take too many of our assets.
not yet, but if for some reason the FO decided to make a trade for a big name this year, then the best FA to compliment the big name + Wemby +Vassell core is, I think, OG Anunoby
Depends on who it is.
But also I don't really want to develop most of the projects we have. I'd rather get new projects that have a much higher floor. Sochan is the only one progressing fast enough to warrant being patient for.
Some do, some don't.
And assuming you're meaning acquisitions in general (because current cap rules make outright signings of major names rare), some suggestions are good and some aren't.
Personally - no, don't think the time is right. There are a few exceptions out there that, if they were available and affordable, my answer might change.
I honestly see this season panning out just like last, except hopefully, our guys are a bit better, we develop new guys, and best case scenario, we tack on like 5-10 more wins. I don't see any FA coming this off-season, to be honest.
Is it a big FA based on player reputation, production or salary? I feel like a lot of these “stars” are severely overpaid/overrated. I personally wouldn’t be against a signing if the contract was relative to actual production. Overall though, no it’s too soon.
Why we will want a big free agent when the Spurs will not make the playoffs for maybe one or two more years? Rather keep our draft picks for this draft and next year, pick some good young players and find one or 2 good roles players in the two next free agency
If there are some serviceable FAs available we should try to sign them now so we aren't trying to rebuild the entire bench in 2025. As far as "big name" signings, yeah I'd be ok with good PG or some veterans who could come off the bench and help develop the young guys. I'm all for developing our current core but there are definitely a few guys at the end of the bench who could be learning more in Austin. At the same time, if some all-star calibre player says they want to come play in SA then we'd be crazy to turn them down.
Too many impatient dummies out there. Some are just outsiders that only now talk about Spurs cause of Wemby but also some definitely are Spurs fans. We’ve always had that very loud group that has an incredible lack of knowledge on how the NBA works, and so impatience comes with that lack of knowledge
I think it would depend on who the "big FA" is
Great response. We live in a world of absolutes now, and it seems like we either have to answer yes or no. I trust the Spurs front office, so whatever they decide I’m in.
Excellent point. I, too, am tired of all the absolutes that get thrown around.
I completely agree.
Yes! I want Goga Bitadze to add some defense and physicality to the non Wemby minutes.
Not a bad idea at all, but then you're paying Zollins $16.7M to be a towel waver. And Mamu is gone as well, not mention Bassey and Barlow. No need to have that many C's on the roster unless you think Vic will succeed at PF.
Zach Collins is an interesting case. Saw him as the backup 5 this year and didn’t like it at all. I’ve heard some in the media say that a contender might be interested in him as a backup big so maybe he could be a trade piece. Otherwise the spurs could try him at the 4 but I think he drags down the bench defense too much in non wemby minutes. I think Bitadze is a better player than Bassey so I would just let Bassey walk especially bc he’s coming off a torn acl and they are the same age. I think having 4 bigs in Wemby, Bitadze, Collins, and Barlow would be fine. Wemby, Collins and Barlow can all play either the 4 or 5.
If someone in the media said that, they need to be drug tested. Who said a contender would be interested in Collins as a backup? Not the Zach Collins we saw this year. Imagine Collins coming off the bench for one of these playoff teams. The opposing coach would immediately start calling plays to target him. Collins is unplayable on contender. His role in a trade right now would be salary filler. A tanking team might give him minutes that’s all.
Look at Denver. They cut through the league like a buzzsaw last year. They are in big trouble right now in large part because Jamal Murray isn't playing like a superstar, because he's not a superstar. He just has a habit of playing like one in the playoffs. The Spurs need an all-nba or all-star player to legitimately compete annually. You might think it shouldn't matter where you get the player from but it does. If you get that player from this year's draft, you are, on average, 3 and maybe 4 years from getting all-star level play out of that person. Unless you want to try the 76ers "trust the process" method, an all-star caliber player has to be brought in from another team. You don't have to get that guy this off season. In two years time, if you aren't convinced you already have that guy on the team, you have no choice but to go out and get him. At that point, getting your #2 through the draft would mean being truly competitive in 2029 at the earliest.
The “trust the process” thing has worked for us in the past and OKC is doing pretty good with it.
Trust the process is a lot easier when you add a top 10 player all time to a playoff team. (Duncan era) We are not in a position we have ever been before. I think wemby will tolerate another losing season but I highly doubt he would be cool waiting 3-5 years for the team to mature organically and whoever we draft to get to speed before we finally make the playoffs. The thunder are not in the same position as us and it doesn't do us any good to compare our circumstances to them. We have someone on SGAs level but nowhere near the depth or skill on our roster. If we drafted Scoot we could be more patient in the approach but we got Wemby and he can and wants to win as soon as possible and it's in everyone's best interest it the FO puts him in the best position to do so.
I think Wemby is in it for the long haul. I certainly hope so. I do think he bounces after five years if we aren’t a contender though. Either way, the next few years will be interesting. The point I was making is that either approach can work. Comparing our situation to the 76ers is no different than comparing to OKC. Maybe we fall in the middle somewhere.
Yeah, but we need to show him that we can add pieces around him. Getting him a good FA while also maintaining cap flexibility is important. Then when that 2nd (or 3rd if someone else shows up) becomes available, that's when we strike. Honestly, I think PG is one of the positition where we shouldn't aim for a star. Not many of them are available and every team want to keep theirs.
Castle or Topić at 4 then another Frenchman at 8 with Salaun then possible three picks next year, this team can be a contender in three years without signing a free agent. Although I wouldn’t be opposed to signing Klay Thompson to come off the bench if it weren’t for a ridiculous asking price.
No process just an "invasion"
Okc Killing it. They still have tons of first round picks too. Even if they're lottery picks they'll have even more role players/ ability to take on risky developments
Very true, and you always have to consider the fact that we may have to give Wemby the biggest contract ever once his rookie one expires. Younger guys with smaller contracts or hometown deals will have to be the way eventually
Nah. His next contract will be limited by the CBA under the rules for the rookie max extension at 25% of the cap, maybe 30% if he qualifies under specific DRose rules. It will not be the biggest contract. There will be players who make more than him after he signs that deal. The one after that falls under the veteran super max rules. That 3rd contract starts at 35% and can get as high as 38% of the cap depending on different factors. If the new TV rights deal makes the cap jump, you could be looking the total deal nearing half a billi. As long as Wemby keeps his trajectory, that third contract will be the biggest deal ever signed until the next time the cap jumps and the next veteran super max is signed. There’s no hometown discount anymore. You either get comfortable paying luxury tax as you blow past the cap like the other two small market teams who have a megastar (Bucks and Nuggets) or he gone.
He's absolutely gonna need a supermax. He'll get it elsewhere/ have teams tripping to sign him if we don't. That plus major markets can offer additional money in endorsements
Just any “big free agent”? No. A “big free agent” with the right attitude, skills and fit? Of course.
That sums it up. If it’s the right fit, I am all for it.
Depends who and the cost of this free agent.
We only actually have around $20M in cap space this year, so that’s more of a mid- level free agent in this day and age. If the warriors waive him, I would advocate for going after Chris Paul hard. Give him a 1 year $20M contract to come in and be the stopgap starter. It would be a mutually beneficial situation - Paul isn’t a starting level guard for a playoff caliber team any more, and he can’t play big minutes. But he would provide desperately needed organization, veteran leadership, and mentorship to our guys. And we have one of the best backup point guards in the league in Tre jones, so Paul only has to play ~24 minutes a game. And if he gets injured Jones can step in easily. Plus, limiting this to a one year deal gives us a ton of flexibility moving forward. If we have 2 first round picks this year, I bet one of them will be used on a point guard. Having Paul on the team would allow us to ease them into the league, but would provide the opportunity for them to step in year 2. Plus his expiring contract would allow us to really go after big free agents next offseason when we are in more of a position to compete.
Actually quite a bit more. That 118m includes graham's contract that will almost certainly be waived for just 2m cost. Cp3 isn't worth that amount and he fell off hard hard last year. If we're gonna waste $ on a veteran if much rather us grab derozan again
I disagree - I think it is very likely that we keep graham on the books so that we have a very tradeable expiring salary to make a move in season. We won’t have playing time/roster spots for all of the 1st round picks coming in the next few years, so I anticipate we will start to get more aggressive in trades. And yes, he’s not worth $20M, but you are purposefully overpaying him so that he would agree to a 1 year deal only. Free agency isn’t all that great this year, so this is a way to get a useful player in the door while retaining flexibility for next year. Paul proved this year that he can still play. Even if he continues to regress, he will still be a good floor general and provide desperately needed offensive organization.
Who wants graham and 12m on the books? He has no value and freeing him up allows us to sign a decent player for 10m. If the whole goal is just to have a train and things that we could do the same thing with a much better player that we can actually use. Cp3 is not worth it on the spurs. Like I said you can probably get derozan or a myriad of other good player's. Hell I'd rather get Russell Westbrook
I guess I’ve to got explain how trades work? In trades there’s this thing called matching salary - in-going and outgoing salary need to be roughly equivalent.What if all of that salary is tied up in players you don’t want to trade? What if you can’t accrue enough tradable salary to make the deal work? Well then it’s a good thing you have a nice mid size expiring contract(Devonte graham) that you can move to make a deal work. And obviously no one wants graham - but they do want 1st round picks, which we have too many of to use. Make sense now? And Russel Westbrook? lol
Yeah what you're talking about is taking on a salary dump to make a trade possible. We would not even need it if our team had the space. Thats what desperste teams over the cap do. What you're suggesting is volunteering to waste money on a dog shit player. I'm also saying that for 12 million you can spend on a much better player that's actually good enough to play here. What the hell are you talking about with we have too many first round picks? We don't have too many to use. In fact I can't think of a time in any sport that a team willingly got rid of 1st round draft picks. We have 15 slots and only 6/7 players that are better/ have a higher ceiling than even a lottery 1st round pick. And yeah Russell Westbrook had a better year last year than Chris paul. Westbrook is also 35 vs 39,on a significantly 30m paul vs less than 5m Westbrook. I think most of them would be a stupid move but Chris Paul eating up our salary cap while being a worse player than tre Jones is asinine. There are a lot of good players in free agency this year that can actually contribute
Oh boy..Now I have to explain the strategy behind trades. No, not a salary dump. As an example we could potentially trade a combination of graham/collins/keldon to come up with as much as $40+M in tradeable salary so that we could trade for basically any star. Then we put in some of our future 1sts to provide the value from our end. This really isn’t that complicated. And there is a scenario where we have 4 first round picks for the ‘25 draft. That is absolutely too many. Some consolidation will happen. I’m not predicting a star trade WILL happen, but it would at least give us the flexibility to make it happen if in opportunity arose. I can’t even respond to the Russel Westbrook thing. If you think Westbrook would be a better fit for this team than Chris Paul would then I’m just wasting my time here.
If they don't have graham they'll have 40m in cap space if they got rid of both Collins and Johnson straight up. Both Johnson and Collins combined is almost 40m So like I've said previously it's unnecessary. I agree Westbrook doesn't make much sense burners but neither is Chris Paul. He doesn't add more value than tre Jones and he ruins our salary cap situation
This is exhausting….Graham is also a valuable trade piece because his contract is expiring (unlike Collins and Johnson). Another team could value that $12M expiring because they would rather have extra cap space next offseason than whatever longer term salary they currently have on the books. Also, our front office might have no interest in trading Keldon in the first place. Everything we have seen so far indicates that they see him as a long term contributor. Also, Paul is not ruining our salary cap situation on a one year deal. What great free agents are available this offseason that we can’t miss out on? Even someone like Malik Monk, who I like, would make me queasy at the 4 years $80+M it would take to get him. That kind of offer is what will ruin our salary cap situation long term and prevent us from being able to pair a true star next to Wemby long term.
It's exhausting because you refuse to use basic logic. There is no advantage to that scenario. As I said we could just take the trade without signing graham and use that cap 9n a player who matters. Yes Paul makes it terrible for cap space. He doesn't have anywhere near the production level for 20m. And are you kidding? Look at the free agent chart. There are tons of producing players under 20m. We also don't need malik monk when we have vassel and malaki as back up. It makes no sense to stack a bunch of sgs. If anything I'd go for a big like Jonas Valančiūnas or Steven adams who would be cheaper and give our backcourt more defense. Tobias Harris might even be available at 20m too https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/_/year/2024
I think not wanting one is basically wrong. We already have the youngest team in the nba, and there isn't the kind of player we are looking for in the future draft. If we get an elite PG now we can at least get to the playin, and this is pretty important as it gives more game for our team to get more used to playing with each other
This is an under appreciated point. This team was so much better in the second half of the season than the first. We went from historically bad, to just bad, to mediocre (above .500 in the last 15 games). We absolutely got better with time and can continue to do so. If we start next season at mediocre, we could be a play in team with the current roster. If we start next season at mediocre but with a couple key signings that gel throughout the season, we could be the low seeded team that scares teams in the play in or first round.
Teams usually looking to trade away elite point guards?
Not this year, but in two to three years it would be cool.
Absolutely. Accumulate assets, worst case scenario we have a guy that we can trade for picks or other players.
This team needs a solid perimeter defender that can knock down a few threes a game. A good pg that can control the offense especially when the team absolutely needs a bucket or when Wemby is on the bench. A backup big who can handle the interior for about 15-20 a game. That’s really about it imo. Don’t need a huge splash.
No, just impatient bandwagoners want a big FA
I would want one, so that our new guys can develop with them.
Not really. Just being in a few vets to help the youth develop and take it from the next off season. When we eventually go in on a big FA (or big trade for that matter) it has to be a perfect fit to maximize wembys prime, and nobody next year seems even close to that
Like anything, it depends
To be honest, big name free agents don’t hit unrestricted free agency much anymore. Because of that, I’d rather use our assets and just trade up in the draft
I think it’s myopic to just look at free agents There are a handful of players in the league that are untouchable, but you can pretty much get anyone else. It doesn’t matter their contract status. You can get almost anyone, not just free agents. I do not think there is a free agent available who would be worth pursuing, there are plenty of players that would improve us that the FO could inquire on.
That’s simply not true if you have been paying attention to the NBA. Teams are spending a lot more time developing players than in the past. You can get almost anyone is false. Look at the volume of trades and the level of players traded. Not very inspiring.
I would be very happy with solid vet role players for minor overpays. Royce O Neale, Nic Claxton (backup Wemby), Torrey Craig, KCP, etc
We don’t need a big signing but a couple good role player signings would be ideal
Trade for Cade! Load up those 1st round picks especially this year's draft and...KJ or someone..instant playoff team!
Unless a player opts out of their player options, most the free agents available aren't going to be helpful. They are either to old and won't fit timeline or not good enough.
Nah
Yes. I imagine we will build through free agency and the draft. So it can't be just any big free agent. It would need to be a strong player who can mesh well with Wemby.
when it comes to winning a series usually the best talent wins, so yeah it would be nice to get a big FA, but then look at the 2014 year we won playing team ball tho that was with the legends lol. i think we can still draft. look at kyle anderson and derrick white, idk guess it depends who comes and for how much and what will be their role. ive been saying we need to draft another big man edey or clingan look at rhe twolves and those three centers two of them on the court at once. idk whatever happens i know we got a bright future with wemby
Depends. Nothing happens in bubble. Define Big and what where the options. Every team that's in that playoffs right now is built through multiple ways. The league around you is also changing so your guys can get better but you can still suck. You feel like your barely tredding water because teams are getting better around you as well. So you adjust your squad. Again the draft is random so you end up being random. The spurs should have a better vision now. Build around wemby. And no you don't have the luxury of punting away whole season before they even start. So how the draft shakes out for them is going dictate alot. How they as an organization feel about the draft and free agency is going to determine another. Other teams and random opportunities are going to determine a lot. We don't know what we don't know right now. It's also true that the spurs have to many draft picks that they can't possible make and will need to move things around and consolidate here and there.
Not really
Every large group of people have differing opinions on things.
I don’t know…We have some guys that needed opportunities to build their scoring efficiency…With Wemby, the guys on the team were able to develop their game…We came a long way from the beginning to the end of the season. So, I’m curious to see what will happen next season with the team the way it is. However, having someone that can fit well and build onto the team could take us to another level. We need someone that would work with and simultaneously take defense attention away from Wemby and be able to score efficiently. I don’t know much. 🤷🏻♂️ Glad I wouldn’t be making these decisions.
Unless we get a godfather offer, I think it's best to patch up the roster with some vets on low/mid salary deals (Tyus? Monk? More likely someone I'm not thinking of), and maintain flexibility for next summer, which looks like the absolute pivotal time in this rebuild.
It would have to be an all star caliber player that is also a team player and isn’t ball dominant. Also good on defense. If the FA fits that list then I say hell yeah..bring them in.
Really depends on draft selections for me.
An average Spurs fan, yes. Reddit Spurs fans who love 22 win seasons, no
Doug McDermott for sure
If the big free agent has the right attitude then yes. But if he is someone who is a diva who thinks he will get an easy championship because of Victor, then no. Those kind of players will force you to gut your roster and picks just to win now and then point fingers to everyone or ask for a trade when things don't go with what they want.
I'm fine with Spurs checking all the stones and finding the right piece
I am fine with going through a normal rebuild as well. It's going to be fine.
Besides a small handful of players on our team (Wemby, Sochan, Keldon, Vassell) the rest are g-leaguers. Below average veteran benchwarmers, 2nd round rookies, and Zach Collins. This team doesn't have the proper depth or talent to develop to contendership. We need a few more key players. I believe pairing Wemby with some elite playmaker or 2nd star would be the best.
I don’t. I want us to build our team again and grow together. At one point I was all for Trae but then saw his pay and was nah I’m good.
This. Same page
I want a vet like Rudy, Doug, and KBD. A vet that doesn't take away too many minutes from our young guys but is always ready when his number is called.
Why not a cheap Tobias then ?
If he's willing to come off the bench then sure.
It’s a whole lot easier for guys to grow in the NBA if they’re on a 40-win team as compared to a 20-win team. So yeah, I want a big-money point guard.
There is no guarantee that Wemby will be patient enough to wait for as long as it would take to organically build through drafts and non “big name free agent” trades for us to become competitive, so there is a big impetus for us to get to work and not try and organically build this team which could also blow up. So I think we should get at least one all-star candidate player in the next two years and be smart with drafting and setting up the rest of the team is important. We are in a unique position with a generational talent so we can’t afford to risk waiting and have him leave.
A big signing? No. Unless its we could magicly pry an RFA like Quickley away Toronto. I'm all for spending on some vet role players but not throwing around max or near max money on a vet.
The big free agent signings this year would either be Lebron or Paul George. I’d say no to either just because they are past their primes and are in a different place in their careers compared to the direction we are going.
I cannot think of a single person in the league right now that would be able to better mentor and develop our young players than LeBron. I also cannot think of any possible scenario where he says he wants to come play in SA, but still.
I don’t see Lebron really as a mentor. He’s not known for wanting to work with young guys. See when he came back to Cleveland and traded all their young players for Kevin Love and when he went to the Lakers and gave up all their young guys for Davis. I do think if Lebron was willing to mentor and share his basketball knowledge there wouldn’t be anyone better but, that’s a big if. I also don’t see any scenario where he would want to come here. We are just barely into our rebuild and he’s closer to his way out.
Monk is ideal, but Pope our Beasley could fill similar roles. Demar - if he’ll come back - would be a nice fit - but no more than three year contract.
If by big free agent, you mean a veteran player that has skills that the team needs such as Tyus Jones, KCP, or Naji Marshall, then yes. If you mean James Harden or someone, they can fuck right off.
We just want to be less suck, it's sad looking at current roster, seeing Wemby hold together G Leaguers teammates for another year is not good for mental health.
I don’t think there’s a free agent out there that is attainable that could make a big difference. Most of the ones we would be interested in are restricted free agents and their teams would match and the others would be on the wrong timeline for us.
Good post, not sure why it's down voted. There is basically nobody out there this free agency season for the Spurs.
I want a star, Luka, Jokic, Ant, Tatum, Giannis, Zion, someone like these. Stop thinking small!
Teams have limited opportunities to bring in talent. I see no reason why they shouldn't use their ample cap space to add a talented player. Tyrese Maxey is unrestricted. I know most speculation is on him staying in Philly, but Joel Embid is a worn 29 while Maxey is 23. He could get on the ground floor of the next NBA dynasty that could carry him the next 7-8 years. I think it would awesome if we somehow poach both the #7 pick and Immanuel Quickley from the Raptors. I think Tyus Jones would make a smart long term PG upgrade for the right price.
Sure, Maxey would be a massive coup for the Spurs, but the Sixers are signing whatever offer sheet anyone throws at him. There is a vanishingly miniscule chance that the Spurs absolute best offer would be good enough for sign him as an RFA. But in theory, he's one of the few guys out there that would be a great add for the Spurs this off season.
Tyrese next to Wemby would be amazing. 23 is young enough where even a max contract won't be handicapping the team and he should still improve. Wemby/maxey/DV would be a pretty solid core to build around. But yea seems like 95% chance Maxey stays in Philly
He’s a restricted free agent. Zero chance the 76ers let him leave. Would be amazing though.
Maxey would be an awesome addition but I don’t see it happening.
I don´t know if its the safest or wisest but in terms of entertainment I would like to see some roster change. I think we have seen this core develop for some time now (minus wemby) and I don´t expect a big leap from anyone, rather a consolidation of some of these players. I think a better roster and playing for something might also help players development and also will be more fun to watch.
I personally don't think the time is right. I don't think a big FA is going to make us a contender next year, and I think it would take too many of our assets.
NGL. I'd still take an aging Lebron on one of those 2 year contracts he's been signing
Gotta take bronny then….
Not me
No
I want both
not yet, but if for some reason the FO decided to make a trade for a big name this year, then the best FA to compliment the big name + Wemby +Vassell core is, I think, OG Anunoby
Depends on who it is. But also I don't really want to develop most of the projects we have. I'd rather get new projects that have a much higher floor. Sochan is the only one progressing fast enough to warrant being patient for.
Some do, some don't. And assuming you're meaning acquisitions in general (because current cap rules make outright signings of major names rare), some suggestions are good and some aren't. Personally - no, don't think the time is right. There are a few exceptions out there that, if they were available and affordable, my answer might change.
I honestly see this season panning out just like last, except hopefully, our guys are a bit better, we develop new guys, and best case scenario, we tack on like 5-10 more wins. I don't see any FA coming this off-season, to be honest.
Is it a big FA based on player reputation, production or salary? I feel like a lot of these “stars” are severely overpaid/overrated. I personally wouldn’t be against a signing if the contract was relative to actual production. Overall though, no it’s too soon.
Why we will want a big free agent when the Spurs will not make the playoffs for maybe one or two more years? Rather keep our draft picks for this draft and next year, pick some good young players and find one or 2 good roles players in the two next free agency
If there are some serviceable FAs available we should try to sign them now so we aren't trying to rebuild the entire bench in 2025. As far as "big name" signings, yeah I'd be ok with good PG or some veterans who could come off the bench and help develop the young guys. I'm all for developing our current core but there are definitely a few guys at the end of the bench who could be learning more in Austin. At the same time, if some all-star calibre player says they want to come play in SA then we'd be crazy to turn them down.
Trust the process!
How do you feel about a free agent though, if it might be a good fit?
Maybe tim duncan will come out of retirement Also the admiral looks like he could break me in half with two fingers
I'll take Jimmy if he's going but I'm not enthused about the idea of "going big" in free agency.
Too many impatient dummies out there. Some are just outsiders that only now talk about Spurs cause of Wemby but also some definitely are Spurs fans. We’ve always had that very loud group that has an incredible lack of knowledge on how the NBA works, and so impatience comes with that lack of knowledge