For the Spurs, their main goal after acquiring Wemban last season was to help the talented player adapt to the pace of the NBA game, while also helping him find his right position on the team and experiment with a lineup that maximizes value in the future. Although there was little change in the team's results last season, the coaching staff is already starting to find the instructions in terms of the use of Wemban.
Looking back at the team's offseason selections, it was a crucial step towards their rebuild. From the perspective of fans, they may hope that the team will pursue some star players to help the team achieve qualitative change quickly. It's just that back to reality, the Spurs' offseason operation is still as stable as ever, there are no big deals that shake the team's foundation, just adding some young talent and experienced veterans to the rotation, and continuing to make steady progress on the road to rebuilding.
To summarize the offseason of the Spurs: the team has indeed improved its combat power after various operations; However, it is difficult to get a full picture of the blueprint vision of the long-term lineup.
Asset accumulation
In recent years, the Spurs' traders have tended to use resources of little immediate value, whether it is salary space or draft picks, in exchange for future draft assets and delay the team's use of these assets; Even more valuable future assets have been accumulated from it, such as the second-round pick they traded in 2022, which became the pick for Sidi Sissoko the following year; In 2023, he used salary space to take over Reggie Bullock in exchange for the Mavericks' 2030 first-round swap right.
This year, management has had a lot of manipulations in the draft and in the free market, and even more. Instead of opting for another lottery rookie after acquiring Castle with the fourth pick, they sent the eighth pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for their unprotected first-round pick in 2031 and a protected first-round swap in 2030. On the free market, they served as DeRozan's sign-and-trade third party, taking the remaining two years of Barnes' contract for the Bulls in exchange for an unprotected first-round swap for the Kings until 2031. With the state of the Timberwolves and Kings, and the expected rebuilding progress of the Spurs, a first-round pick or pick swap in six or seven years has the opportunity to give them a value chip in the middle of the first round or even better, which is the ideal draft asset.
It's just a bit of a shame that the other lottery isn't used to select potential possession; However, the management continues to accumulate relatively valuable future assets, whether it is to prepare for future big deals or to improve the other capabilities of the Wemban, which is a flexible option for the team's long-term operation. Maintaining this steady style of operation is quite right for the future of the team.
The energy that comes with a veteran
Unlike last season, which focused on a third-party role in a trade, and in exchange for draft assets by taking contracts, this offseason the Spurs have focused on the goal of replenishing the veterans: Paul and Barnes have a lot of experience in the game, from technical and tactical coaching to helping young players build culture in the locker room, and both veterans can play a big role in building the culture of these young players.
In addition to mentoring young players, Paul and Barnes can also complement what the Spurs lack tactically. For reference, the Spurs only have a net efficiency of +5.2 when Wemban and Tre Jones are on the same page. In contrast, even though Paul is 39 years old, his ability to organize offense, defensive formation and offensive transmission is definitely no less than the young guards in the current team, which is bound to bring a lot of effective half-court offense to the Spurs and help Wemban's easier shots.
As for Barnes, he's always been a scarcity of strikers for the Spurs. The three-point shooting volume and shooting percentage can provide the team with offensive space, and also have a certain ability to hold the ball to attack the holes of the wheel; Defensively, while not at the top level, it can still be used as an option for opposing wing carriers. For this team that is still growing, the fighting power provided by the two veterans can improve the existing system and provide a better environment for young players to develop.
Referring to Paul's ability to improve the record of the new team in the past, Spurs fans must also expect the team to make a breakthrough in the record and even challenge the playoffs again in the pattern of bringing the old to the new. However, the aging Paul's lack of advantage creation and three-point shooting has allowed opposition defenders to limit his pick-and-rolls by going around the screen or switching defenses, which has been a problem with the Spurs' half-court offensive system in recent years. If they are to improve, then the team as a whole has to improve significantly, or Wemban can go one step further in the new season and take the team to the next level.
Team-building issues
Just talking about the trading this offseason, the Spurs are definitely on the right track; However, if we want to take a more macro view of the team's long-term plans, it seems that the Spurs have not yet fully unveiled a blueprint for the future.
After Brian Wright took over management, the Spurs completed a fairly successful draft in their first year. Devin Vassell, who got a lot of upside potential in the first round, and Trey Jones, a rotation-caliber point guard in the second round. But then the team did not perform well in the draft and the development of young players. Jeremy Sochan, Malacay Branham, and Blake Wesley, all three first-round picks failed to make it all into the rotation; Even worse, Primo and Joe Wieskamp, two 2021 newcomers, are no longer in the squad; Second-round picks such as Sissoko, Sandro and Dominic Barlow are either on the fringes of the roster or have left the team to look for other opportunities.
Leaving aside the Wemban, which no one will miss, and looking at the Spurs' draft record in recent years, the team's selections in the lottery have clearly similar qualities. The fitness of the players is not top-notch; Able to play in multiple positions, with the ability to make decisions with the ball and the potential to control the ball; The single-point defense is solid, but the organizational ability with the ball is not outstanding; The projection is not excellent, but there is potential to be developed. From Primo to Sochan, and this year's Castle, the management's number one option seems to be betting on multi-position talent, while hoping to unleash their ball-handling potential and find future possession answers soon.
It wasn't until the end of the first round or even the second round that they turned their attention to rookies with other qualifications. For example, Branham, who is good at holding the ball and projecting, Wesley, a speed guard, Sissoko, a forward with both physical and passing vision, and Juan Nunez, who is more traditional point guard, etc. However, these late picks often have their flaws, and it is more difficult for them to get into the rotation.
There is nothing wrong with valuing the talent of multi-skill and believing in the future of projection, after all, if you can develop multiple rotation players who can play multiple positions, the team can indeed bring enough flexibility to the future team building like the Pelicans and Thunder. However, the Spurs' choices in recent years have not turned into enough rotation power, but instead left a lineup that is relatively lacking in fitness, defense, ball handling and projection. There are only two drafts in 2020 who can really sit firmly in the rotation; And the relatively stable wing projection in the rotation is only Julian Champoney, who was traded from the 76ers.
If Castle, who is the fourth pick this year, can develop into a multi-faceted offensive and defensive force, or even a future point guard option, and if one or two existing players make a breakthrough in the development, such a draft route can also stabilize the position; It's just that once their development fails to bring higher talent to the team than the rotation, especially for the addition of projection and physical conditions, the Spurs' subsequent roster formation is likely to face a lot of problems.
Crucial 2025 season
But even so, the Spurs have a fairly healthy salary structure and draft assets that allow them to correct the direction of the team with different paths.
In terms of drafts, they have at least two first-round picks next year and can continue to look for future ball-handlers. In terms of signings, they could also free up a lot of salary space to chase high-level players in the free agency market next year; In terms of trades, they are expected to have at least three first-round picks and four first-round swaps available for trade after 2025, in addition to their own draft picks, and it is easy to participate in the trade competition for top stars.
Even if the Spurs' long-term roster planning still looks flawed at the moment, it won't be impossible for the team to acquire the right talent as long as the team can still develop enough and valuable rotation to shift its focus to the signing and trade market. The trade for the eighth pick in exchange for high-value future assets, coupled with previous rumors of exploring a trade for young guards such as Garland and Nembhard, and even the initial pursuit of Markkanen, are signs that management is accumulating trade chips to make a move in due course.
In addition to the above, the Spurs also signed two young potentials in the last minute, guard Malachi Forin and wing BJ Boston, as candidates to compete for a fringe spot on the team in training camp. These two players will be valuable additions to the existing roster, but if they don't make it to the rotation, they don't really mean much to add to the team.
The current problem is not obvious, and the most important thing is that starting next year, the risk of management will gradually increase, and the room for error will become smaller and smaller. The salary bonus and salary structure flexibility of the existing contracts will slowly fade in the summer of 2026; The team's draft assets accumulated in the past will also slowly deplete from 2025. Next year's Spurs, whether in terms of draft signings or trades, will be of great significance to the building of the team around Wemban, and there is no room for error.
The management has been operating over the years, and it can be praised at different levels, but with the combat power shown by the Wenban, the timeline will inevitably be accelerated. As for the direction of the new season, they are already consciously or unconsciously betting on the future of the team in 2025.
For the young players in the squad, it is important for them to prove their worth in the team's future plans in the 2024-25 season, otherwise they will be eliminated; If the team's current roster doesn't have enough answers, then the pressure will fall on management, and if they can't sketch out the outline of the Wemban era of Spurs in the 2025 offseason, they may not be waiting long for the rest to follow.