San Antonio Spurs 2024 Offseason Thread - Edging and Unleashing Wemby's Jumbo Package

[angelfacedmongoloid 80]

Yeah I didn't believe him, should've said he claimed he broke the story.

[Kermit 3156]

There is no worse category of vermin than NBA “news breakers”. May they all choke on a Stoops vintage 2005 bag of dicks.

[Fastbreak 3973]

Instead of Young, why not call up the Hawks about #1?

Trade #8 + one of the hawks future picks and maybe 1-2 2nd rounders for number 1

This would give the Spurs Sarr + Topic/Dillingham/Sheppard.

The Hawks would still get a good guy at 8 and still be able to move Trae and Capella (and maybe Hunter) to start the rebuild with their own pick back.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

6 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Instead of Young, why not call up the Hawks about #1?

Trade #8 + one of the hawks future picks and maybe 1-2 2nd rounders for number 1

This would give the Spurs Sarr + Topic/Dillingham/Sheppard.

The Hawks would still get a good guy at 8 and still be able to move Trae and Capella (and maybe Hunter) to start the rebuild with their own pick back.

I wouldn’t do that trade. I don’t know if there is much difference between 1 and 8 in this draft and Sarr is duplicative to a lot of what Wemby does. Plus there is a bigger cap hit.

Looking at the west, the Spurs are going to have to deal with Ant, Luka and SGA for the foreseeable future. Assuming Risarcher is gone, I’m thinking Castle makes sense at 4 as a point of attack defender and connective piece. Even if he ends up not being a point guard, he can play on the wing. Dillingham will still probably be there at 8. 

[chainsaw 9850]

8 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I wouldn’t do that trade. I don’t know if there is much difference between 1 and 8 in this draft and Sarr is duplicative to a lot of what Wemby does. Plus there is a bigger cap hit.

Looking at the west, the Spurs are going to have to deal with Ant, Luka and SGA for the foreseeable future. Assuming Risarcher is gone, I’m thinking Castle makes sense at 4 as a point of attack defender and connective piece. Even if he ends up not being a point guard, he can play on the wing. Dillingham will still probably be there at 8. 

It's a weak draft. I'd rather have 4 and 8 than 1.

[Fastbreak 3973]

The west is changing. You are going to need multiple big men to compete with mini, Denver and okc. Running Collins out there isn’t going work. There are also no free agents worth a shit this year.

Sarr is going to be a solid inside/outside guy. He would fit very well next to Wemby or as a backup. Getting him for 4 years on a manageable contract would be a huge win.

[Dbeasy 15039]

4 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

The west is changing. You are going to need multiple big men to compete with mini, Denver and okc. Running Collins out there isn’t going work. There are also no free agents worth a shit this year.

Sarr is going to be a solid inside/outside guy. He would fit very well next to Wemby or as a backup. Getting him for 4 years on a manageable contract would be a huge win.

Yes. The Mavs had great success rotating in three bigs during the year. However I still wouldn’t want Sarr as that rotation guy. 

Edited May 21 by Dbeasy

[thepop 4409]

I agree we could use a center. Sarr won't be available at 4 anyway. Clingan however could be. I could see them drafting him if available and then using 8 for whichever point guard is left, Dillingham or Castle.

 

Some also think the Spurs are interested in the french forward Tidjane Salaun. He's 18 and they could reach for him at the 8th pick like they did with Primo.

https://athlonsports.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/inside-spurs/news/french-nba-draft-prospect-tidjan-salaun-connected-san-antonio-spurs

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

I could be talked into Sarr, but I'm not giving Atlanta any of its draft capital back to move up three spots for him. Clingan is a hard no for me. The last thing they need is another big clogging up the paint for Victor. They can find a big in free agency who can suck up some minutes and take some fouls.

I haven't watched that much of Salaun, but he looks very stiff to me. Not a fan, and he seems like a massive reach at 8. I can talk myself into just about any of the top 10 or so prospects in this draft, but he is the one that I would be outright disappointed about the Spurs picking. 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

1 hour ago, thepop said:

I agree we could use a center. Sarr won't be available at 4 anyway. Clingan however could be. I could see them drafting him if available and then using 8 for whichever point guard is left, Dillingham or Castle.

 

Some also think the Spurs are interested in the french forward Tidjane Salaun. He's 18 and they could reach for him at the 8th pick like they did with Primo.

https://athlonsports.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/inside-spurs/news/french-nba-draft-prospect-tidjan-salaun-connected-san-antonio-spurs

Clingan would be a good pick at 4 I think....would give us more athleticism downlow and he's able to do a lot not just around the rim. Also he's only 20 years old. It's not like he's a 22-23 year old 5th year senior. 

A Clingan/Wemby combo on the court at the same time would be insane.

Edited May 21 by BurntOrange&White

[Fastbreak 3973]

i think they have to get a lead guard with 4 or 8. If they got Topic/Dillingham/Sheppard at 4, maybe getting someone like Holland at 8 could make sense.  Holland could basically be their Anunoby (and they could probably move on from Keldon).

[thepop 4409]

https://www.poundingtherock.com/2024/5/22/24162393/report-the-spurs-are-high-on-stephon-castle

Would make sense since he's said to be a good defender.

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

20 minutes ago, thepop said:

https://www.poundingtherock.com/2024/5/22/24162393/report-the-spurs-are-high-on-stephon-castle

Would make sense since he's said to be a good defender.

Clingan at 4, Castle at 8, ez pz lets do it boys!

Edited May 22 by BurntOrange&White

[angelfacedmongoloid 80]

It came out earlier this week that Castle wouldn't work out for a team with an established PG. That would rule out Charlotte, Portland, Memphis, Detroit, and probably Houston. Depending on what we do at 4, I would be fine with taking Castle at 8 I guess.

[kingkoopa6 8344]

Made me laugh 

 

[gofuckyourself 8195]

Still probably faster than Slow Mo. We may need an official timer.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

Getting back to the draft during what will be an interminable wait until the finals... more and more Castle makes sense at 4, which means they will probably do some unexpected Josh Primo/Luka Samanic dumb shit and fuck this whole thing up. He should be available unless Houston trades #3 to someone who wants to move up for him. I figure Risacher/Sarr go 1/2, in either order, then Houston takes Sheppard or Clingan. 

At 8, I'm starting to come around on Dalton Knecht. He fills a desperate and immediate need for a shooting wing. He's a competent defender or at least big and athletic enough (39" vertical, fastest shuttle in the combine and second fastest in lane agility) to become one. Do you spend #8 on potentially the next Doug McDermott? The thing about Knecht that makes his developmental curve a little different is that he grew 5 inches after high school. So, it's not like he maxed out just by aging and being older than his peers like that one dude that killed Kentucky in the first round of the tourney. He maxed out by hitting a late growth spurt. It's reminiscent of the Derrick White trajectory, even down to the part about playing small college ball in Colorado before growing taller and then stepping up in class twice. The Spurs have always been drawn to those rags to riches stories about guys who have had to work their way up vs guys who came up through the AAU entitlement system. I could talk myself into him despite his being older than Wemby, Sochan, Branham, Cissoko, Barlow, and Wesley. He would immediately supplant Champagnie in the lineup.

If they are going to roll the dice on another can't shoot prospect instead of Knecht, I'd go with Cody Williams. He's one of the easiest to visualize being a great pro because of his brother, yet also requires the most projection to get there. Also, has one of the longest developmental timelines, which will say something about their patience if they go there. Dillingham is also likely to be available at 8 as well but I don't think they want to play like they will have to on defense if he's your lead guard. 

[Braff Zacklin 13551]

Knecht is also a worker, a gym rat, who accepts instruction and enjoys being coached.

 

Those are criminally underrated attributes that many draft analysts seem to ignore.

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

Who is most ready to play prospect for the 4th pick? That is who they should take, period IMO.

 

With the 8th pick, you could look for something similar or a guy who needs just a little work.

[Patrick Bateman 3910]

55 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Getting back to the draft during what will be an interminable wait until the finals... more and more Castle makes sense at 4, which means they will probably do some unexpected Josh Primo/Luka Samanic dumb shit and fuck this whole thing up. He should be available unless Houston trades #3 to someone who wants to move up for him. I figure Risacher/Sarr go 1/2, in either order, then Houston takes Sheppard or Clingan. 

At 8, I'm starting to come around on Dalton Knecht. He fills a desperate and immediate need for a shooting wing. He's a competent defender or at least big and athletic enough (39" vertical, fastest shuttle in the combine and second fastest in lane agility) to become one. Do you spend #8 on potentially the next Doug McDermott? The thing about Knecht that makes his developmental curve a little different is that he grew 5 inches after high school. So, it's not like he maxed out just by aging and being older than his peers like that one dude that killed Kentucky in the first round of the tourney. He maxed out by hitting a late growth spurt. It's reminiscent of the Derrick White trajectory, even down to the part about playing small college ball in Colorado before growing taller and then stepping up in class twice. The Spurs have always been drawn to those rags to riches stories about guys who have had to work their way up vs guys who came up through the AAU entitlement system. I could talk myself into him despite his being older than Wemby, Sochan, Branham, Cissoko, Barlow, and Wesley. He would immediately supplant Champagnie in the lineup.

If they are going to roll the dice on another can't shoot prospect instead of Knecht, I'd go with Cody Williams. He's one of the easiest to visualize being a great pro because of his brother, yet also requires the most projection to get there. Also, has one of the longest developmental timelines, which will say something about their patience if they go there. Dillingham is also likely to be available at 8 as well but I don't think they want to play like they will have to on defense if he's your lead guard. 

This is good information.  I go with Cody personally who could never get in a rhythm because of some freaky injuries, but his stock may be fading a little.  I'm not a huge fan of this draft.  I use one of these picks for a good young starter or take it and trade into another draft lottery, probably with 8.  Sucks because in a good draft, you probably walk away with your core.  This draft is trickier and it's easy to see not moving the needle much.  Hopefully the Spurs can get it right because the rest of this roster is pretty bad.... really bad.  

We had 0 guys who on a per minute basis really played winning basketball (TS > .550; PER > 15; WS/48 > .100; VORP > 1.0) besides Wemby.  Tre Jones and Vassell were really close so they probably stay unless you get an insane offer on them.  Anyone else?  Should be eligible to move immediately if it's better for the team L-T.  Jeremy Sochan is a losing basketball player as a package.  I like some things he does outside the boxscore and in isolation but as a package on the court -- he's not good right now and I would argue it's because the staff has done a really bad job of defining his role.  Team still needs playmaking, shooting, and some energy.  Hope we can take a major step forward next year.  The goal should be the playoffs.

[Bolero88 277]

12 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

This is good information.  I go with Cody personally who could never get in a rhythm because of some freaky injuries, but his stock may be fading a little.  I'm not a huge fan of this draft.  I use one of these picks for a good young starter or take it and trade into another draft lottery, probably with 8.  Sucks because in a good draft, you probably walk away with your core.  This draft is trickier and it's easy to see not moving the needle much.  Hopefully the Spurs can get it right because the rest of this roster is pretty bad.... really bad.  

We had 0 guys who on a per minute basis really played winning basketball (TS > .550; PER > 15; WS/48 > .100; VORP > 1.0) besides Wemby.  Tre Jones and Vassell were really close so they probably stay unless you get an insane offer on them.  Anyone else?  Should be eligible to move immediately if it's better for the team L-T.  Jeremy Sochan is a losing basketball player as a package.  I like some things he does outside the boxscore and in isolation but as a package on the court -- he's not good right now and I would argue it's because the staff has done a really bad job of defining his role.  Team still needs playmaking, shooting, and some energy.  Hope we can take a major step forward next year.  The goal should be the playoffs.

I agree on Cody Williams. I also like Devin Carter. Super athletes who can shoot 3s and play defense are pretty rare, especially in this draft. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

2 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Sucks because in a good draft, you probably walk away with your core. 

It really does but we're so spoiled. If only the Spurs could catch a break in the lottery and draft.

2 hours ago, Patrick Bateman said:

We had 0 guys who on a per minute basis really played winning basketball (TS > .550; PER > 15; WS/48 > .100; VORP > 1.0) besides Wemby.  Tre Jones and Vassell were really close so they probably stay unless you get an insane offer on them.  Anyone else?  Should be eligible to move immediately if it's better for the team L-T.  Jeremy Sochan is a losing basketball player as a package.  I like some things he does outside the boxscore and in isolation but as a package on the court -- he's not good right now and I would argue it's because the staff has done a really bad job of defining his role.  Team still needs playmaking, shooting, and some energy.  Hope we can take a major step forward next year.  The goal should be the playoffs.

Agree with all of this. Sochan should be the energy guy but he doesn't bring it every night. Hopefully he grows into it and maybe not scrambling his brain trying to run point will settle him a bit, but they need so much more consistency out of him. I don't think his shot ever gets fixed, though.

I'm not as concerned about the playmaking so much. Wemby is going to create looks for everybody. They need someone to knock them down. They need better defensive players around him. And for fuck's sake, they need to take care of the ball. They are close to a playoff team with league average shooting, non-Wemby defense and turnovers.

These numbers paint a pretty ugly picture: 26th in offensive RTG. 25th in TO%. 25th in EFG%, 25th in TS%. #3 in pace. 28th in 3P%. 11th in 3PA. #1 in AST% (wtf, for a team that misses so many shots). 25th in contested 3 point shots.

Edited May 31 by Mitch Cumsteen

[Michael Knight 12976]

4 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Getting back to the draft during what will be an interminable wait until the finals... more and more Castle makes sense at 4, which means they will probably do some unexpected Josh Primo/Luka Samanic dumb shit and fuck this whole thing up. He should be available unless Houston trades #3 to someone who wants to move up for him. I figure Risacher/Sarr go 1/2, in either order, then Houston takes Sheppard or Clingan. 

At 8, I'm starting to come around on Dalton Knecht. He fills a desperate and immediate need for a shooting wing. He's a competent defender or at least big and athletic enough (39" vertical, fastest shuttle in the combine and second fastest in lane agility) to become one. Do you spend #8 on potentially the next Doug McDermott? The thing about Knecht that makes his developmental curve a little different is that he grew 5 inches after high school. So, it's not like he maxed out just by aging and being older than his peers like that one dude that killed Kentucky in the first round of the tourney. He maxed out by hitting a late growth spurt. It's reminiscent of the Derrick White trajectory, even down to the part about playing small college ball in Colorado before growing taller and then stepping up in class twice. The Spurs have always been drawn to those rags to riches stories about guys who have had to work their way up vs guys who came up through the AAU entitlement system. I could talk myself into him despite his being older than Wemby, Sochan, Branham, Cissoko, Barlow, and Wesley. He would immediately supplant Champagnie in the lineup.

If they are going to roll the dice on another can't shoot prospect instead of Knecht, I'd go with Cody Williams. He's one of the easiest to visualize being a great pro because of his brother, yet also requires the most projection to get there. Also, has one of the longest developmental timelines, which will say something about their patience if they go there. Dillingham is also likely to be available at 8 as well but I don't think they want to play like they will have to on defense if he's your lead guard. 

There is always the chance we dangle Atlantas pick and our pick this year to move up, but I doubt it and doesn't seem worth it with the depth of next years draft

[gofuckyourself 8195]

Nikola Topic has a torn ACL. Surgery and time out TBD.

I thought they may nab him, but now I'd assume they go another route.

[Michael Knight 12976]

Yeah Topic will probably tumble

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40284258/serbian-projected-top-10-pick-nikola-topic-torn-acl

[Braff Zacklin 13551]

Think he'd fall as far as the second round?

[Patrick Bateman 3910]

1 hour ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Think he'd fall as far as the second round?

Doubtful.  Maybe in the teens, but it was only a partial tear and no other ligaments were reported.  It's a minimal as you can get.  I haven't seen where they decided on surgery.  May just be rest, although I doubt it.  Most likely a redshirt year.

 

[thepop 4409]

23 hours ago, gofuckyourself said:

Nikola Topic has a torn ACL. Surgery and time out TBD.

I thought they may nab him, but now I'd assume they go another route.

Spurs have not been scouting him at all. I thought he might be a good pick too a few months ago but Spurs never seemed interested it seems.

[Kermit 3156]

9 minutes ago, thepop said:

Spurs have not been scouting him at all. I thought he might be a good pick too a few months ago but Spurs never seemed interested it seems.

That’s because he has T-Rex arms.

[tx 3 putt 76859]

 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

9 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

Do we hate or love this or is it meh?

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

Trading 8 to move up three spots in this flat draft wound be monumentally stupid. 

[Acropora 856]

4 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Trading 8 to move up three spots in this flat draft wound be monumentally stupid. 

Agreed.  This is a weak draft because there are no sure things, not because there is no potential.  I'm fine trading one or both pics for a proven young player but otherwise, more lottery tickets are better than less.  Hopefully our two will net two starters that are playoff caliber. 

[Radical Larry 28539]

Not the best draft class and we’re not a Risacher or Sarr away from competing. I damn sure wouldn’t give up any picks in next year’s draft either. 

[Kermit 3156]

You would think that the Hawks wouldn’t want to trade with the Spurs anymore after the last one.

[Michael Knight 12976]

Rumor is the Hawks are moving forward with trading both Murray and Young which would make next years pick pretty nice

[Chad 1728]

Did the Spurs trade for Trae Young yet? Out of all the potential trade rumors brought up the last two years this is the one I want to see happen the most. A 3x All-Star PG in his prime would be a solid player to pair up with Wemby.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

11 minutes ago, Chad said:

Did the Spurs trade for Trae Young yet? Out of all the potential trade rumors brought up the last two years this is the one I want to see happen the most. A 3x All-Star PG in his prime would be a solid player to pair up with Wemby.

[The Dark Knight 173]

32 minutes ago, Chad said:

Did the Spurs trade for Trae Young yet? Out of all the potential trade rumors brought up the last two years this is the one I want to see happen the most. A 3x All-Star PG in his prime would be a solid player to pair up with Wemby.

[Kermit 3156]

37 minutes ago, Chad said:

Did the Spurs trade for Trae Young yet? Out of all the potential trade rumors brought up the last two years this is the one I want to see happen the most. A 3x All-Star PG in his prime would be a solid player to pair up with Wemby.

I wouldn’t get your hopes up. 

[Radical Larry 28539]

Whatever the hell they do, I hope they do not trade any 2025 picks. 

[Michael Knight 12976]

57 minutes ago, Chad said:

Did the Spurs trade for Trae Young yet? Out of all the potential trade rumors brought up the last two years this is the one I want to see happen the most. A 3x All-Star PG in his prime would be a solid player to pair up with Wemby.

[Braff Zacklin 13551]

1 hour ago, Chad said:

Did the Spurs trade for Trae Young yet? Out of all the potential trade rumors brought up the last two years this is the one I want to see happen the most. A 3x All-Star PG in his prime would be a solid player to pair up with Wemby.

Are you trying to kill @Kermit?

Don't mess with the Angry Amphibian, bruh.

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

7 hours ago, Radical Larry said:

Whatever the hell they do, I hope they do not trade any 2025 picks. 

IMO if they do things the "Spurs way" then that is severely limiting the Wemby window and that would be a failure by the management and basketball ops 

[Kermit 3156]

51 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

IMO if they do things the "Spurs way" then that is severely limiting the Wemby window and that would be a failure by the management and basketball ops 

That may be true, but no future iteration of a Spurs team has that douche playing for it.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

IMO if they do things the "Spurs way" then that is severely limiting the Wemby window and that would be a failure by the management and basketball ops 

What exactly is the Wemby window? He’s 20. So, what? A 15 year window? A failure by management would be to be short sighted and exhaust their future assets and cap flexibility for a roster that gives them a two year run instead of building a sustainable decade plus contender. 

 

[Fud 9551]

Not a Spurs fan, but it seems to me that they should do their best to find a way to land Sarr. His archetype is an excellent fit with Wemba. If he hits, they have two switchable and rangy rim protectors on defense and two spacing bigs on offense 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

6 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

What exactly is the Wemby window? He’s 20. So, what? A 15 year window? A failure by management would be to be short sighted and exhaust their future assets and cap flexibility for a roster that gives them a two year run instead of building a sustainable decade plus contender. 

 

He's a 7'4-7'5 guy, it not farfetched to think he may not last 8-12 years. I'd say his window is now for about 5-7 years of good health for someone of his length. If he goes longer than that without health issues then that is amazing. Wasting years building slow and through drafts is literally wasting his prominent years. There is NO ONE on this team currently outside of him that is worth a shit or championship caliber. 

 

Also he may not want to be in SA once his rookie deal is over.....that is also party of the Wemby window. This compounded with not getting ready to play talent around him and winning isn't a recipe to get him to stay.

 

Edited June 18 by BurntOrange&White

[Kermit 3156]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

He's a 7'4-7'5 guy, it not farfetched to think he may not last 8-12 years. I'd say his window is now for about 5-7 years of good health for someone of his length. If he goes longer than that without health issues then that is amazing. Wasting years building slow and through drafts is literally wasting his prominent years. There is NO ONE on this team currently outside of him that is worth a shit or championship caliber. 

 

Also he may not want to be in SA once his rookie deal is over.....that is also party of the Wemby window. 

 

All of this may be true. Dude takes exceptional care of his body, but injuries happen. There may be a small window of competition because of injury fears and wanderlust. They may trade for a top quality teammate, using draft equity and young players. Yet, there is no fucking way that the answer to all of this is Trae Young. Fuck Trae Young, fuck his stupid game, fuck his stupid attitude, fuck his stupid school he played at, fuck the stupid spelling of his stupid name, eat a bag of dicks Trae.

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

Just now, Kermit said:

All of this may be true. Dude takes exceptional care of his body, but injuries happen. There may be a small window of competition because of injury fears and wanderlust. They may trade for a top quality teammate, using draft equity and young players. Yet, there is no fucking way that the answer to all of this is Trae Young. Fuck Trae Young, fuck his stupid game, fuck his stupid attitude, fuck his stupid school he played at, fuck the stupid spelling of his stupid name, eat a bag of dicks Trae.

I'm definitely not in favor of Trae Young....and I'm not advocating for him. Just saying the Spurs need to do what they can to win now instead of building slow.