The San Antonio Spurs were renowned in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes as they traded All-Star Dejounte Murray before the start of the season and kept the players on the team young and inexperienced. For a tanking side, that is the best possible strategy, and the Spurs finished with a poor 22-60 record which was 15th in the Western Conference. There are some bright spots as Jeremy Sochan is a fan favorite who posted 11.0 PPG and 5.3 RPG in his rookie campaign, while Keldon Johnson continued his solid play (22.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG), and Devin Vassell is a bright young talent who posted 18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.6 APG.
These three youngsters are the future in San Antonio and are showing glimpses of potential All-Star berths if the team continues to improve. However, the Spurs will not be going anywhere without true star talent and veteran leadership. Luckily for them, there is a 14% chance that Victor Wembanyama falls to them with the No. 1 overall pick, and that will kickstart a new era in San Antonio. With the returning Gregg Popovich still the head of the ship with the Spurs and plenty of flexibility, the franchise can rebuild after being the worst team in the West and build a powerful side over the summer.
How could it be done that fast? Since the Spurs are a renowned organization dedicated to winning and playing the right way, nobody can put it past them. The key will be to cover two major starting spots and fortify the bench to simulate what the historically great San Antonio Spurs teams led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. With Vassell, Johnson, and Sochan taking up the guard and forward spots, respectively, here is how the Spurs can add a star point guard, star center, and valuable bench pieces to actually become a playoff contender next year. The Spurs have $76,557,979 in salary cap, and with around $50 million to spend, there could be a massive change coming in the Western Conference if the Spurs focus on these steps.
Draft Victor Wembanyama
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The base for the San Antonio Spurs superteam is getting lucky with the ping-pong ball that ends up being the No. 1 overall pick. Everybody knows that Victor Wembanyama is going No. 1 overall because he is a special talent who has every skill in the book, from scoring to defense. The Spurs always succeeded with historically great big men, including David Robinson and Tim Duncan, so Wembanyama can be yet another great one for them.
Victor will be lucky to end up with the Spurs because Gregg Popovich can share his experience and knowledge as the Frenchman gets comfortable with superstardom. The Spurs franchise protects its players and develops them both on and off the court, so Victor’s ascension could be beautiful in San Antonio. Wembanyama will likely succeed anywhere he goes, so the Spurs players benefit the most.
Wembanyama will occupy the center spot and fill that paint gap left by Robinson and, later, Tim Duncan. The Frenchman will have three young players to build around and will be able to show his two-way skills every game. With Popovich pulling the strings and the youngsters benefiting from the center’s presence, the first step to achieving greatness will be taking future superstar Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick.
Sign Kyrie Irving To A 3-Year Deal
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The next step is to acquire a bonafide All-Star who has experience, scoring, and playmaking ability to truly make a difference for a young side. In comes Kyrie Irving, a player who frustrates a ton of people but sells out stadiums due to his elite offensive play. Remember, the Spurs even considered going after the point guard before the trade deadline this year. Irving is a spectacular offensive player and averaged 27.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 5.5 APG over 60 games played with the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks. No doubt, those are superstar numbers.
Irving wants maximum money and also wants to be the star of the show. He had it in Brooklyn, except the franchise decided to not pay him long-term. In Dallas, his partnership with Luka Doncic was an utter disaster as the Mavericks dropped from playoff contender to lottery team in a few months. Not to mention, Irving’s inability to stay focused means very few teams want to risk paying him max money.
If there is a single franchise that keeps players in check, it is the Spurs franchise. Kyrie will be welcomed in San Antonio, but Popovich and the management staff will keep him in line while giving him the keys to a young team. Kyrie will carry the offense but also help develop the youngsters, including French superstar Victor Wembanyama and the three youngsters Sochan, Vassell, and Johnson.
Trade Doug McDermott, Romeo Langford (Sign and Trade), And Khem Birch
With two superstars completing the starting lineup, the San Antonio Spurs will desperately need depth and will need to cut salaries to achieve this. The players the Spurs can get rid of via trade and also including draft compensation are Doug McDermott, Romeo Langford, and Khem Birch. These three players are decent role players but are far more valuable as trade assets.
McDermott will make $13,750,000 next year, and that is too much for a Spurs franchise wanting to rebuild around stars and truly make an impact in the Western Conference. Langford will make $7,837,251 if his qualifying offer is extended, and that could be a clever move to move on from the 23-year-old as well. Khem Birch, a hustle-first backup big man, will make $6,985,000 next season. Birch can defend and plays hard, but he can be moved to go for much bigger fish.
With these three players moved, over $28 million in cap space for the Spurs can be maneuvered. It won’t be easy finding trade destinations for a single one of these players, let alone all of them, but adding draft compensation wherever necessary could do the trick. McDermott shot 41.3% from three last year, Langford is 23 years old, and Birch is a solid backup big man, so there could be suitors for them in the summer.
Sign Austin Reaves
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After solidifying the starting lineup and getting rid of dead weight, the San Antonio Spurs can make a big splash in the free agent market to acquire their “new Manu Ginobili” in Austin Reaves. Reaves will command a $50 million contract at least, and the Spurs will be willing to offer him a deal close to that this summer by giving him the Ginobili role. Reaves had a breakout year this season because his confidence is through the roof.
The shooting guard averaged 13.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 3.4 APG this season and has added 17.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG in the postseason so far. Remember, Reaves is only in his second NBA season after being an undrafted rookie, so the sky’s the limit for the 25-year-old. As he continues to mature and get stronger on a physical level, Reaves can be a big-time impact player for any franchise looking to pay him.
Manu Ginobili was a great playmaker and scorer with a very high basketball IQ, and he was invaluable coming off the Spurs bench. Reaves can follow that same role with the hopes of helping the Spurs become title contenders. Reaves knows how to play basketball, and he would learn even more from Gregg Popovich pulling the strings on the sidelines.
Sign Christian Wood
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The next big free-agent fish will be Christian Wood, a big man who doesn’t get his just due. Wood can average a double-double if he receives at least 30 MPG and is a capable shot-blocker as well at 6’10” tall. This season with the Dallas Mavericks, Wood averaged 16.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.1 BPG despite only managing 25.9 MPG.
Wood can start games for sure, but he is deadly as a backup center behind Victor Wembanyama. Can one imagine having to deal with two lanky centers that can shoot and finish inside? The Spurs can even go clever and have both play together at times to throw different looks at opponents. No doubt, Wood would be a fantastic addition to the bench alongside Austin Reaves.
Playing Wood 28 MPG and giving him a starting role once in a while could convince the big man to sign a deal for around $15 million per season if he gets a three or four-year deal. He is only 27 years old, so with at least five or six years of his prime left, the Spurs can pounce and convince the center he belongs in San Antonio.
Spurs Still Have Flexibility To Sign More Free Agents
With the three major free agency moves complete and Victor Wembanyama becoming the new cornerstone, the San Antonio Spurs are in a great position. The roster will be clear of dead weight, the roles of each player are defined, and the Spurs even have more flexibility in the free-agent market. Devonte’ Graham will still be on the books next year, so he can be retained as a backup point guard behind Kyrie Irving or possibly moved to clear even more space.
Meanwhile, the Spurs can add veterans such as Josh Richardson, Josh Powell, Danilo Gallinari, Jakob Poeltl, and Mason Plumlee, among others, on team-friendly deals. If the Spurs want guard play, the likes of Dennis Schroder, Kendrick Nunn, Corey Joseph, and Seth Curry will also be available. Athletes who can run and defend, including Hamidou Diallo, Torrey Craig, Justise Winslow, Dillon Brooks, and Lonnie Walker IV, are available and looking for new homes for the right price.
The Spurs have a lot more flexibility than any other team in the NBA because they have carried out their tanking strategy almost perfectly this season. The Spurs will be able to bring back Zach Collins at $7,700,000 on a team option in case no options present themselves, which means a bench rotation of Reaves, Collins, and Wood can be excellent behind the talented starting lineup.
A Dominant Starting Lineup And Bench
The San Antonio Spurs superteam is complete. Kyrie Irving headlines at the point guard spot alongside Devin Vassell in the backcourt, while Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Victor Wembanyama make up the frontcourt. Austin Reaves, Christian Wood, and Zach Collins can be the permanent backups coming into games while the added flexibility offered by next year’s increased salary cap means there could be even more young players coming on board.
The Spurs finished 15th in the Western Conference this season, but changing their lineup by adding two superstars in the lineup and two talented bench players fortifies the team once and for all. Other than the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets, who have more experience, the Spurs have one of the most talented teams in the league. The goal for San Antonio will be to occupy a top-5 or top-6 seed, at the very least.
Any team that adds Irving and Wembanyama will have massive strides in their play, even if it happens quickly over the summer. Gregg Popovich is still one of the best coaches in the league, the Spurs franchise is exceptional in terms of focus and player development, and the pieces are there to truly make the playoffs next season, even if Kyrie Irving is the only true veteran in this case. With a dominant starting lineup and bench, the Spurs won’t be easy to handle on the court, and that means a playoff berth is guaranteed next year.
