The Spurs added four rookies during the draft. Who are you most excited about, and who, if anyone, did you wish they had drafted instead?
Marilyn Dubinski: As someone who is not a college basketball aficionado, it’s hard to get too high or low on anyone when you’re well outside the lottery for the first time and years and don’t know anything about anyone until they’re Spurs. That being said, I like the approach the Spurs took. They went directly at their most exposed weakness in the first round, which was a lack of size and physicality down low, and even doubled down by trading for a second pick. Jayden Quaintance is a long-term project
with his knee but could have the Spurs once again owning the steal of the draft when/if he gets going again. And if not? Tarris Reed is about the best insurance policy they could have asked for. The second round was less exciting, but with the power forward market in both the draft and FA a bit dry, there’s a chance for at least Maliq Brown to show something (but I wouldn’t count on it).
Mark Barrington: I like taking a swing on Quaintance, although he’s not likely to help next season. Tarris Reed looks like he can help this upcoming regular season, although rookies are rarely playoff-ready in their first go (Dylan Harper excepted). As Marilyn mentioned, the Spurs drafted two guys at their biggest position of need. Their lack of an athletic big to take some of the pressure off Wembanyama and give him sufficient rest to be fresh at the end of games was exposed by the Knicks in the finals. These guys will be big helps in the future, but the future is now for the Spurs. I’m worried about JQ’s history of injuries, as the Spurs have had bad luck in the past with drafting injured players who haven’t panned out. A lot of people mention DeJuan Blair, but I can go back a long way and remember James Anderson (foot) and Livio Jean-Charles (knee). I trust that the Spurs have done their homework and they have a high degree of confidence that Jayden will be fully healthy, even if he has to take a redshirt year.
I’m not concerned about the second-round picks. Gillespie could slot in as a replacement for Jordan McLaughlin or Lindy Waters, and Maliq Brown as a development player who could make the rotation if he improves his offense. One or both of them will probably be on a 2-way contract next year, and both of them will play mostly in Austin if they make the team.
Jacob Douglas: Long-term, the idea of at least one of Victor Wembanyama and Quaintance protecting the rim is about as exciting as it gets. San Antonio has the depth to let Quaintance sit for the majority of the season if it needs to give him time to get healthy. Then, they could have one of the most dominant defensive front courts in the NBA.
In the meantime, Reed should be able to log some minutes at center. He gives San Antonio that bruising size they’ve needed alongside Wembanyama for a bit. However, unless they were worried about a team 21-25 selecting Quaintance, I would have liked to see them grab Cameron Carr from Baylor at 20, and then pick Quaintance at 26. Yes, the Spurs need size, but they also need shooting. Carr is a knockdown three-point shooter and a high flyer who could eventually fill out into a 3&D wing. Addressing that and grabbing a big man in the draft would have been a huge win.
Jeje Gomez: I was intrigued by Houston’s Chris Cenan Jr. because of his raw tools, but the Quaintance pick seems like the type of upside swing the team can afford to take. The consensus seems to be that he would have been a lottery talent if he had been healthy, and his Arizona State season backs that up. He could be a special defender who is a decent jumper away from being a two-way force, and the fact that he will be just 18 for a couple more weeks shows that he has plenty of room to grow. Reed is less exciting but seems NBA-ready physically and mentally, as he knows what he is and is happy to just do the non-glamorous jobs.
It was surprising to see the Spurs pick a small guard and a forward who can’t shoot in the second round, since the league is moving away from those archetypes, but maybe that’s why they were available and could prove to be valuable. Either way, it’s always better not to have high expectations for second-rounders, so if they ever contribute, it’d be a bonus.
Free agency is close, and after the draft, the Spurs still haven’t upgraded the power forward spot. Who would you like them to target, or do you think they are set at PF?
Dubinski: As previously mentioned, it’s a pretty dry market. I don’t see LeBron James wanting to leave the state of California (and don’t really desire him, plus likely the only thing that would have drawn him here would have been playing for Pop, and that’s not an option anymore). Beyond him and Draymond Green, whom I also have no interest in, the best options are John Collins and Tobias Harris. And you know what? We’ve been talking about Collins as a potential Spur for at least five years now. Why not just make it happen so we can finally see what we’ve been missing? If the Spurs don’t pursue a power forward, I’m going to assume that their eventual goal is for Wemby to move back to his preferred position of PF, and the stockpiling of centers is to actually see who can play alongside him.
Barrington: I think the Spurs still need help at power forward, but their history in free agency is that they don’t really go for it, as they tend to try to develop players internally. Tarris Reed is more of a center than a power forward, but he might end up doing some twin towers work with Wemby this season, as Victor slides to the forward position. John Collins is interesting, and he’d be a good addition, but it all depends on how much it costs to obtain him.
Douglas: San Antonio can offer roughly $15M and up to four years with the non-taxpayer MLE. They can also trade for a player into that slot. John Collins and Rui Hachimura are the names I’ve seen mentioned most frequently. Collins would provide some vertical spacing as a lob threat and has shot around 40% from three on about three attempts per game over the last two seasons. He’s probably the best fit, but still comes with questions. Can he hold down the paint and guard the perimeter while Wembanyama roams defensively? He isn’t the greatest rebounder either (11.4% rebound rate).
I’d stay away from Hachimura, who would be duplicative with Julian Champagnie. Yes, Hachimura hit 44.3% of his three-pointers, but those looks are typically stand-still catch-and-shoot jumpers, like the ones Champagnie gets. He’s a worse rebounder (only a 6.9% rebound rate) and a worse defender. San Antonio needs a four who can play inside and out, and can do some of the dirty work for Wembanyama inside. Hachimura is not a fit in that regard.
May I present a third door? Are we sure the Spurs want to commit 15M a year to a role player when they have looming contract extensions for Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper? What if they went have someone a little cheaper instead? San Antonio had reported interest in Guerschon Yabusele last offseason. He got back on track in a bigger role with the Chicago Bulls late last year. He’d provide the same level of rebounding as Collins while shooting 38% from three (with the Bulls). He’d be a cheaper option who could do a lot of the things San Antonio needs from a power forward.
Gomez: Rumors about Aaron Gordon being potentially available have me wanting the Spurs to take a big swing, but after getting to the Finals, it’s unlikely they will do anything drastic. I’d settle for them getting Hachimura, Tobias Harris, or Collins, and I’ll add Precious Achiuwa to the list of desirable targets. Achiuwa is not a shooter, but he’s a big forward who can also play as a small ball center in a pinch thanks to his rebounding, and he brought energy to a Kings team that severely lacked it last season. He could do the same for a Spurs team that might get complacent now that it knows it’s elite and will have a target on its back.
If they decide to go for cheaper targets, Kenrich Williams could be interesting. He has playoff experience, can shoot a little, and doesn’t shy away from physicality.
There have been a few high-profile players who seem to be available via trade. Do you think the Spurs should go hard after any of them?
Dubinski: I don’t think so. Jalen Brown is both too combustible and expensive (plus, it seems he wants to be first fiddle, and that’s even less likely here than Boston), and someone like Ja Morant is not a position of need and a hard pass for the Spurs’ system and culture. Plus, any trades for major players would likely require De’Aaron Fox for salary purposes; the Spurs have made it clear they have no intention of trading him, and as Jesus pointed out, it wouldn’t be a good look for them at this juncture. (And for the record, I’m not on the trade Fox bandwagon. I think the results would have been different if his ankle had been healthy. Blame Ayo Dosunmo.)
Barrington: I honestly can’t believe the deal that Minnesota gave up for Julius Randle. He is still a useful player, but they basically swapped the 28th pick for the 33rd to dump Randle’s salary, just so they could overpay Ayo Dosunmo. If the Spurs can find another team having a fire sale on good players because they’re churning the roster, maybe they can take advantage of another team’s cap problems, as they have a pretty decent situation for the next year or two before things start to explode with Wemby and Castle getting their second contracts and Fox’s max kicking in. I just don’t see it happening, but I expect that Brian Wright will be keeping an ear to the ground to listen for signs of other teams having salary cap-induced panic attacks.
OK .. OK. Welcome back to San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard! He’s going to be just fine. [Just kidding, although he looks as healthy as he has in years.]
Douglas: No, partly because I don’t think San Antonio has assets it should sacrifice to get one of them. Aaron Gordon or Leonard (gulp) would be the perfect fits with this team, but would likely require giving up De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, and/or Keldon Johnson to get them. This offseason shouldn’t be about a major shakeup. It should be about adding pieces around the edges that can maximize a core that made it all the way to the NBA Finals in their first full season playing together. A trade for a star that requires a major sacrifice could either boost them into the stratosphere or kill all of the momentum from last season.
Gomez: The way the Spurs acted at the deadline last season, when they stood pat despite having big expiring contracts, suggests they are happy with their core, so I doubt they are seriously considering making a big move. It’s always good to do the due diligence and check what it would take to land an established star, and there are some exciting names that could make San Antonio better, but I just don’t see a big trade coming, for better or for worse.
