Category: Spurs Rumors

3 Buyout/waived players Spurs should target post-trade deadline

Here are three players the San Antonio Spurs could look to sign post-trade deadline.

Though the San Antonio Spurs had a relatively tame trade deadline, they did, in fact, make a move. The Spurs sent Doug McDermott to the Indiana Pacers for Marcus Morris and a second-round pick. Morris will be bought out by the Spurs, meaning he won’t end up suiting up for San Antonio this season.

Morris’ inevitable buyout in San Antonio means they will have an open roster spot and could actually look to add a buyout player themselves. The Spurs won’t be pushing for a playoff spot this season, but adding talent next to Victor Wembanyama could help his development moving forward.

With that in mind, here are three potential buyout candidates the Spurs could look to target for the final portion of the season.

Who’ll stick on the San Antonio Spurs roster past the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline?

Whoever is left when the deadline passes will have a tough row to hoe in terms of wins, but a very bright future alongside Wemby.

The NBA’s 2024 trade deadline is less than a month away, and it is one of the league’s worst-kept secrets that the San Antonio Spurs are planning on making moves. The question surrounding San Antonio’s front office is just how many moves — as well as which players for what targets.

Will we recognize this club when the dust settles on the Feb. 8 limit on exchanging players for the 2023-24 season? With rumors that veteran forwards Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman are on the market for the Spurs, we can be fairly certain that the ball club will get younger. We have also heard rumbles about a potential reunion with the Atlanta Hawks’ Dejounte Murray, or perhaps a trade for a less costly floor general to pair with rookie star forward Victor Wembanyama.

Whoever is left when the deadline passes will have a tough row to hoe in terms of wins, but a very bright future alongside Wemby.

The hosts of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast recently weighed in on this very question; check out the above to hear their answers!

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Stein: San Antonio has ‘made available’ Doug McDermott, Cedi Osman for trade

“A trade before this season’s deadline, sources say, is much more likely,” writes Stein.

It seems that the San Antonio Spurs are looking to move on from a pair of veteran wings currently on the team’s roster. In a recent report that echoes what we have been hearing from Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, his fellow podcast host and Substack legend Marc Stein is echoing those reports.

“Doug McDermott and Cedi Osman are two veterans that the Spurs have made available before the Feb. 8 deadline — with both players (McDermott at $13.8 million at Osman at $6.7 million) on expiring contracts,” writes Stein of the wings in question. While McDermott is the elder of the two at 32, he is shooting a sizzling 46.8 from deep this season, and will likely garner attention from fringe contenders looking for a short-term offensive boost to their roster.

Osman, at 28, may not be quite the long-distance marksman, but he is shooting a healthy 36.7 from 3, and can pass the ball a bit.

“The Spurs could have traded McDermott last season but decided, in the end, against parting ways,” adds Stein. “A trade before this season’s deadline, sources say, is much more likely.”

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Spurs’ Doug McDermott labeled as ‘top buyout candidate’ this season

As trade season inches closer, San Antonio Spurs veteran Doug McDermott could actually be a potential buyout candidate.

The San Antonio Spurs have one of the most intriguing young cores in the league. Headlined by Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs have a clear path forward, especially if Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and others can continue to grow and improve alongside the rookie sensation.

However, San Antonio also has a few veterans on the roster that could be names to watch ahead of trade season this year. Cedi Osman has been brought up as a player contending teams could potentially want to add, and Doug McDermott is still on the team, too. That said, a trade may not be McDermott’s fate this season.

According to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, McDermott could be one of the top buyout candidates on the market this season.

“At 32, McDermott clearly isn’t part of the Spurs’ bigger picture,” Favale wrote. “He’s already taken a backseat to Cedi Osman and Julian Champagnie minutes, and two-way-player Dominick Barlow doesn’t seem too far behind.

“San Antonio can, of course, use McDermott’s $13.8 million expiring salary as part of another trade. But if both he and Osman remain on the roster past the deadline, there’s a solid chance at least of them gets bought out. Unless the Spurs are dead set on uber-acceleration heading into next season, they’re not re-signing both (or necessarily either).”

McDermott makes $13.75 million and is in the final year of his contract, meaning he could be a low-risk trade target for some teams. However, squads around the league may rather wait and take the chance of San Antonio simply buying him out.

Should that be the case, any team looking to add three-point shooting could jump at the chance to sign McDermott to a minimum contract.

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Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin labeled as potential Spurs trade target

Atlanta Hawks rookie guard Kobe Bufkin was floated as a potential San Antonio Spurs trade target.

The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the worst teams in the league this year. That said, the awe of Victor Wembanyama has masked most of their struggles, as he clearly has the talent to be a franchise player for the Spurs moving forward. San Antonio’s focus needs to be on building around him.

So far this year, point guard play has been the team’s weak spot. They tried running Jeremy Sochan at the one, but once that failed, they moved on to a committee of him, Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, and Malaki Branham. However, they should still be looking to add talent at the one.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently concocted a list of every team’s potential top trade targets. For the Spurs, he suggested Atlanta Hawks rookie Kobe Bufkin.

Bufkin has only appeared in two games for the Hawks this year, but he’s been getting some run in the G League. In three games with the College Park Skyhawks, Bufkin has averaged 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while shooting 55.2% from the field and 30.8% from the floor.

Buckley also mentioned the Spurs could target draft picks or Golden State Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski, who doesn’t seem to be on the trade block, as the Warriors give him a ton of playing time.

“Otherwise, San Antonio can target players with a realistic chance of growing alongside Wembanyama,” Buckley wrote. “Both Podziemski and Bufkin would have a chance to do just that, since they are capable of creating offense but also add value off the ball, meaning they wouldn’t get in the way of Wembanyama’s on-ball development.”

Adding Bufkin to the rotation would give the Spurs another talented guard to develop alongside Wembanyama, as well as another potential future point guard option.

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Former Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray floated as potential trade target for return

Former San Antonio Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray was floated as a potential trade target for the squad this season.

While the hype of Victor Wembanyama has soaked up most of the attention in regard to the San Antonio Spurs, the biggest story should be about how poor their performance has been. It’s no secret that the Spurs are one of the worst teams in basketball, but for the most part, their rough year has been accepted because of how young they are.

That said, there are some very obvious ways they could look to improve, the most obvious of which is their need for improved point guard play. After testing out Jeremy Sochan in that role, they’ve turned to Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Malaki Branham, and Sochan to take on the primary playmaker duties by committee.

However, they could look to add at the deadline. Cal Durrett of Hoops Habit suggested the idea of trading for former Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray, concocting a return to San Antonio.

“While the Hawks just recently signed Murray to a 4-year, $120 million extension, they are still several games under .500 and are one of the more expensive teams in the NBA,” Durrett wrote. “If that doesn’t improve, then they may look to see what they can get for Murray and potentially Trae Young. Atlanta might not be able to get all the assets they gave up for Murray back in a potential deal with the Spurs. However, San Antonio could be willing to give up Keldon Johnson, and Toronto’s top-six protected first-round pick.”

Durrett also noted that Murray could solve the Spurs’ need for an upgrade at the position.

While Murray has admitted how much he respects the Spurs organization in the past, he also had some complaints about his time there, which would make a potential return a bit awkward.

That said, there’s no denying that he would help Wembanyama. At the same time, Gregg Popovich’s recent comments about a potential Spurs trade make any move seem very unlikely.

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Jason Preston floated as ‘sneaky free-agent pickup’ for Spurs

Jason Preston was floated as a potential solid addition for the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs’ point guard position has been a whirlwind this season. Heading into the year, it was revealed that Jeremy Sochan would take on the role despite primarily being a forward for his entire basketball career. Sochan expressed some frustration with the role, and eventually, the Spurs went in a different direction.

Now, rather than having Sochan be their sole on-ball creator, the Spurs have split up ball-handling duties between him, Devin Vassell, Malaki Branham, and Tre Jones. That said, there’s still room for them to improve at the point guard position, as adding more playmaking talent could benefit them in the long run.

According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, Jason Preston would be a great “sneaky free-agent pickup” for the Spurs.

“The 33rd pick of the 2021 draft is basically a blank slate, as foot surgery wiped out his would-be rookie season, and the Clippers’ win-right-now intentions limited him to just 124 minutes over 14 games in 2022-23,” Buckley wrote. “He’s not a great athlete, and there are questions about his shooting potential, but he thinks the game at a high level and can consistently create shots for the players around him.”

Preston has turned himself into a playmaking maestro in the G League this season. Through 12 games (and 11 starts), he’s averaging 11.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 46.6% from the field and 25.7% from behind the three-point line for the Memphis Hustle.

At 24 years old, Preston is still young. He’s only appeared in 14 NBA games and has plenty of room to grow. For the Spurs, he could be a great low-risk addition, according to Buckley.

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Gregg Popovich comments on potential Spurs trade this season

As the unofficial start of NBA trade season begins, Gregg Popovich spoke about the idea of the San Antonio Spurs making a trade.

On Friday night, the San Antonio Spurs picked up their first win since November 2. They had lost 18 games in a row before picking up a 129-115 win over the Anthony Davis-less Los Angeles Lakers. But despite that, the Spurs still sit at 4-20 on the season, which puts them at dead last in the Western Conference.

December 15 marked the unofficial start to trade season in the NBA, as most players who signed contracts over the summer are now trade-eligible. With how poorly the Spurs have been playing this season, a trade could help spice things up, but that may not be in the cards.

When asked about a potential trade, head coach Gregg Popovich pushed back on the idea.

“No, I doubt it,” Popovich said regarding the idea of San Antonio making a trade, per Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

Popovich continued his remarks, throwing in his usual healthy dose of sarcasm.

“Why would we do that? … Get a vet or two and go win a championship this year? I’m going to go think about that,” Popovich said.

The Spurs were never going to be a title team this year. With Victor Wembanyama in the fold, they were slated to be a rebuilding team. Were they expected to be better than they are? Sure. But a playoff spot always seemed far-fetched.

Making a trade now could help set the Spurs up for the future, but for now, San Antonio should just be focused on developing their young core and learning from this season.

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Spurs select Nikola Topić, potential point guard of future, in recent mock draft

In a recent 2024 NBA Mock Draft, the San Antonio Spurs picked up a potential point guard of the future – Nikola Topic.

Roughly six months after the San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, things haven’t gone too well. Following a promising 3-2 start to the season, the Spurs have now lost 17 games in a row. It’s been a rough year, but on the bright side, they’re in line for another top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Pairing Wembanyama with another top pick could set the Spurs up beautifully moving forward, but they need to be sure to nail the selection. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report recently wrote a mock draft, and in it, the Spurs landed the second-overall selection.

With the pick, Wasserman has the Spurs picking Nikola Topić of Mega MIS.

Chris Paul floated as trade target Spurs ‘should consider’

Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul was floated as a potential San Antonio Spurs trade target to help Victor Wembanyama.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately, the “up” came in the form of two impressive early-season wins over the Phoenix Suns, and the “down” is their current 14-game losing streak. When phrased like that, it’s certainly been a rough year for the Spurs.

That said, heading into the year, the Spurs were never expected to be a top team. Some may have expected them to be a bit better than they currently are, but regardless, their main focus should be the development of their young core, headlined by 19-year-old rookie Victor Wembanyama, who is having a solid season.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest question marks with the Spurs has been the point guard position, as the Jeremy Sochan experiment hasn’t gone according to plan. Well, Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated suggested a trade idea that could help fix the problem.