Category: Spurs Rumors

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.

Should the San Antonio Spurs consider a Jrue Holiday trade?

It seems unlikely, but should the San Antonio Spurs at least consider a Jrue Holiday trade?

The San Antonio Spurs are set up beautifully for the future. Victor Wembanyama should take over as their new face of the franchise, Jeremy Sochan will be looking to build on a solid rookie campaign, Devin Vassell is primed for a bounce-back year, and the rest of the team’s depth could take leaps forward soon, too.

But should they look to capitalize on their young talent and help them win now? Jrue Holiday just landed with the Portland Trail Blazers in the Damian Lillard trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, but they will be looking to flip the All-Defensive guard. San Antonio hasn’t been mentioned as a destination, but should they consider it?

CLAN the SPURS fan recently discussed the idea on his YouTube channel.

Obviously, at 33 years old, Holiday doesn’t fit the Spurs’ timeline, but he would be a great point guard to help organize their offense with Wembanyama at the helm.

At the moment, it seems as though Holiday would prefer to go to a team where he would have a chance to compete for a championship, and the Spurs aren’t there yet. But inquiring about a potential trade could still be worth it.

In order to match Holiday’s salary, however, Keldon Johnson may have to be included in a deal, and that may not be something the Spurs are willing to do.

That said, if they were serious about adding Holiday, which seems unlikely, they could probably offer one of the best packages of picks and young players of any team around the league.

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Rumors: Spurs ‘considered’ giving Austin Reaves $21 million offer

The San Antonio Spurs reportedly considered making Austin Reaves an offer.

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Heading into the offseason, the San Antonio Spurs had a ton of cap space, and with Victor Wembanyama coming into the fold, some questioned whether or not they would spend some money in an attempt to put together a competent roster. Ultimately, they just made a few filler trades and preserved future flexibility.

But before they made their decisions, they reportedly had an eye on Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves. The 25-year-old said he thought about joining the Spurs during an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. And more recently, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype revealed that the interest was mutual.

According to Scotto, the Spurs “considered” giving Reaves an offer sheet worth $21 million but were too worried that the Lakers would just match it.

“The Spurs considered offering Reaves a restricted free agency sheet worth $21 million per season, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto said. “Ultimately, however, the Spurs were scared off by the widespread belief that the Lakers would match any offer sheet for Reaves and chose to preserve cap space as a salary dump destination for future draft pick compensation.”

The Lakers ended up signing Reaves to a four-year, $54 million contract, so it seems likely that they would have matched any offer the Spurs threw his way.

That being said, Reaves would have been a great fit in San Antonio. His mix of shot creation and playmaking would have paired nicely alongside Wembanyama.

Do you think the Spurs should have made Reaves an offer?

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Rumors: Spurs showing interest in potential Evan Fournier trade

The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly interested in trading for New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier.

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The San Antonio Spurs are in no rush. They just drafted Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, setting them up for a bright future. The 19-year-old Frenchman is already a superstar on and off the court, but with how young he is, the Spurs can take their time putting a winning team around him.

However, that doesn’t mean they won’t look to add this summer. They’ve already traded for a plethora of veterans, including Cedi Osman, Reggie Bullock, and Cameron Payne, and recent rumors have indicated that they could be on the hunt for more additions.

According to Ian Begley of SNY, the Spurs are a team that has shown an interest in trading for New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier.

“I have heard that a few teams – teams that seem like they could make the playoffs – have had interest in acquiring Evan Fournier,” Begley wrote. “One other team that I am keeping an eye on is San Antonio. The Spurs are among those teams who have had interest in acquiring Fournier via trade. Unless they have changed course recently, the Knicks have been against attaching any additional draft compensation in a Fournier trade.

At the start of the offseason, the Spurs had enough cap space available to absorb Fournier’s contract ($18.9 million for 2023-24 and a team option next season). They no longer have the requisite space to absorb the deal. So San Antonio would have to send back salary to satisfy trade rules in a Fournier acquisition.

Something else worth noting on Fournier and the Spurs: Fournier and Spurs No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama share a home country (France) and an agent (Bouna Ndiaye).”

Fournier’s French connection to Wembanyama makes the trade a intriguing option, especially considering the fact that the Knicks are likely looking to offload his contract anyways.

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Austin Reaves considered Spurs in free agency before Lakers return

Austin Reaves considered joining the San Antonio Spurs in free agency before returning to the Los Angeles Lakers.

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The San Antonio Spurs‘ offseason was defined by their selection of Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old French product is already a superstar, drawing the attention of many around the entire basketball world. In just his first Summer League game, the gym was sold out.

San Antonio has made other moves, too, though. They’ve re-signed Tre Jones, Julian Champagnie, and Sandro Mamukelashvili and brought in Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens (who was waived), Reggie Bullock, and Cameron Payne via trade. However, they were close to making another move that would have seen them land an up-and-coming guard.

During an appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers guard revealed that he nearly signed with the Spurs and the Houston Rockets. (H/t Jacob Rude of Silver Screen and Roll)

“Houston, before [they signed] Fred [VanVleet] and then San Antonio,” Reaves said when asked which teams he thought about signing with.

That being said, Reaves also noted that he always wanted to return to the Lakers, where he ended up re-signing.

“I really wanted to be in LA the whole time,” said Reaves.”There were a couple situations that were close but, like I said, I really wanted to be in LA. LA feels like home to me so that’s really where I wanted to be.”

Reaves agreed to re-join the Lakers on a four-year, $56 million contract during free agency.

Would you have wanted to see him in San Antonio alongside Wembanyama?

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Evan Fournier’s link to Victor Wembanyama sparks Spurs trade rumors

Should the San Antonio Spurs look to trade for Evan Fournier because of his connection to Victor Wembanyama?

The San Antonio Spurs have a new face of the franchise. Their fate was set in stone as soon as they won the draft lottery, as it meant Victor Wembanyama was headed to Texas. Now, the 19-year-old Frenchman, who is already a superstar, is set to take the reins in San Antonio.

As the Spurs look to push forward, almost everything they do will be with Wembanyama’s needs in mind. Obviously, there are other solid players on the roster, but the rookie should be one of their main focuses. And recent comments from fellow Frenchman Evan Fournier have led to some hypothetical Spurs trade rumors.

In an interview with Yann Ohnona of L’Equipe, Fournier spoke about the idea of playing next to Wembanyama under Gregg Popovich. (H/t Matt Guzman of Inside the Spurs)

“It’s not the Spurs of 2014 anymore but playing for Coach Pop and learning from him, it would be a pleasure and an honor, for sure,” Fournier said, translated by Guzman. “Being with Victor looking at the Olympics, being able to start chemistry on the court, that would be great.”

Fournier also spoke about his desire to be traded from the New York Knicks this summer.

“I’m going to be traded, it’s not possible otherwise or I’d be stuck, and so would they,” said Fournier. “They have several players with big contracts coming in. Unless they want to pay a crazy luxury tax.”

Should the Spurs look to bring in Fournier this summer via trade to play alongside Wembanyama?

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Mock trade sees Spurs land $45 million center in 3-team blockbuster

In this mock trade, the San Antonio Spurs would land a $45 million big man.

Heading into the summer, the San Antonio Spurs were focused on one thing – Victor Wembanyama. Well, that’s not entirely true, but from the outside looking in, it seemed to be the case. The Spurs were thrust into the spotlight, as Wembanyama is already an international superstar, and fans are eager to see what he can do on the NBA stage.

San Antonio shouldn’t be in a rush to put together a championship-caliber roster, but having Wembanyama will definitely come with expectations. And while they don’t need to make any rash decisions or trade, they definitely have some freedom to take risks.

And one trade concocted by Dan Favale of Bleacher Report would see them take a calculated gamble