The Athletic's Will Guillory reported that the Spurs have $40 million in salary space this summer and could be one of the strong buyers this summer. Because of Wembanyama's rapid growth, the Spurs could accelerate their rebuilding plans. Wembanyama has averaged 23.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 4.4 blocks per game since March, including 34.1 percent from three-point range. During this period, the Spurs had an 8-10 record. It has to be said that Wembanyama already has the strength of an All-Star and is also one of the best defensive players in the league.
This summer, the Spurs' total player salary is only 97.3 million, and there is room for 40 million to stay within the luxury tax line. In terms of lineups, Collins and Wembanyama continue to partner on the inside, Johnson and Vassell partner on the front line, and Sochan at the point guard position is a potential target for promotion. Last season, Sochan averaged 3.4 assists per game, which wasn't the Spurs' final answer at the point guard position. There are also veterans like Chris Paul and Klay Thompson in the free agent market. So, if the Spurs want to get back into the playoffs, it could be next season at the earliest.
Next season, there could be as many as 13 teams in the West competing for playoff qualification. With the exception of the Jazz and Trail Blazers, the rest of the teams are aiming for the playoffs. Moreover, the Spurs' squad also has a certain foundation, as long as they make targeted reinforcements this summer, they have a certain chance to enter the play-offs. In fact, the Spurs drafted Primo with the 12th pick in the first round in 2021 and is a very talented point guard, but Primo left the Spurs due to off-court factors. So, this has also slowed down the Spurs' rebuilding to a certain extent.