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

[Fud 9551]

2 minutes ago, Bolero88 said:

I liked Devin Carter at 8, but it seems like we are keeping cap space open for this year. I assume a trade will happen before the season starts.

I think he would have been good there, but you're also doubling up on two guards at that point, which some front offices might not want to do 

[Braff Zacklin 13552]

8 hours ago, thepop said:

Those picks will almost certainly be traded for a player in the next few years. Draft capital, fellas. 
 

Excited about Castle.

1 hour ago, Kermit said:

Obviously, it’s not ideal. It’s also not debilitating. They’re setting themselves up for numerous scenarios, but in the now, players are needed. This team is in serious need of an enema. There’s no way to know for sure, but it seems they’ve taken the “let’s see what we’ve got “ approach for one more year, hoping to get in the top 10 of next years prestigious draft. It’s smart, but the fans are frothing at the mouth and are disgusted and impatient. And rightfully so. I’m open to the idea of trading for Darius Garland if he becomes available, but when is the last time a trade was made for talent that didn’t include shipping out one of the best players in franchise history? Stephen Jackson? 

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I think they got the best player in this cruddy draft in Castle. 

I actually like the Dillingham trade. He’s an exciting player but he’s going to get targeted endlessly in a playoff series. There will be moments of buyer’s remorse watching him but if you look at the Sochan experiment and now Castle, you can see where this roster building is going - they want to put long switchable wings on the perimeter and let Wemby clean everything else up. Dillingham does not fit with that vision at all. And the other options at 8 really didn’t move the needle either. I know it’s not sexy for now, but they are going to choke people out, as long as they don’t choke themselves out from three first.

As far as the picks go, that’s an absolute haul for the 8th pick in this mediocre draft.  Ant will probably be playing for the lakers by then. Look at it like this - they turned a stiff in Poeltl into an unprotected first and a swap that’s only first pick protected.  It’s insane value. They can either repackage it in the near future or they will have killer draft capital when they are carrying a huge cap number down the road. This team isn’t owned by Steve Ballmer or the vc bros in San Francisco. This is a small market franchise. They are going to have to work the cba rules like a mother to remain competitive when Wemby is the highest paid player in the league. 

For the win now crowd, it also opens up more cap space and a roster spot for vets this year. This was good business all the way around. That was a great night for the Spurs. 

Fair points, fellas. Guess I was hasty in my judgment. 

And my frustration isn't so much wanting to win NOW cuz even in a best-case scenario, the team would still need a couple years of seasoning to come together (more of Castle doesn't have a reliable outside shot).

[chainsaw 9853]

22 minutes ago, Fud said:

You're allowed to trade 2031 picks

That might help in the late 2020s if the Wolves are or will foreseeably become bad, but today the value of that pick isn't much.

[Fud 9551]

2 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

That might help in the late 2020s if the Wolves are or will foreseeably become bad, but today the value of that pick isn't much.

Unprotected picks in the far future absolutely hold value

[thepop 4409]

After sleeping on it I feel good about trading away 8 in a weak draft. My guess is they wanted Salaun with the 8th but Charlotte took him early. Up to 4 first round picks in next years draft realistically probably 3) which is supposed to be stacked. 2 of those picks may be top 10. Rather save a roster spot for that draft or free agency.

 

Edited June 27 by thepop

[BurdineBandit 815]

I'm more patient than most, it just hurts to punt a #8 pick. We rarely pick that high, obviously lucked out with Wemby, then find ourself with two more Top 8 picks, when for years we were searching for diamonds in the 15-28 range (thinking of the years of Walker, White, Murray, etc. as our first round picks). I get that the draft was weak, but sure seemed like we needed that infusion of talent that HAD to have been better than having our bench full of guys we just promoted from G league (Champaignie, Wesley, Barlow, etc.). But if PATFO is confident that this will lead to even better talent next year, then so be it I guess. Without a couple of summer vets, this year will be another "patient" year as Wemby tries to carry us to another 10-15 wins though. IMO.

[Fud 9551]

The #8 pick this year is like the #13 pick in a different year 

[thepop 4409]

13 minutes ago, Fud said:

The #8 pick this year is like the #13 pick in a different year 

This is probably generous. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the best player in this draft ends up being the 18th pick or something.

[Acropora 856]

1 hour ago, thepop said:

This is probably generous. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the best player in this draft ends up being the 18th pick or something.

Best pick in this draft was at #4....I hope... Though you're probably right.  Hindsight always 20/20 and don't have to look back that far to see how badly you can miss on high picks.  Imagine if Brown/Tatum were sixers or Lakers or if Atlanta drafted Luka.  

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

 

[C-Man 27183]

Drafted Furphy for Indiana and then one pick later we took PG Juan Nunez, who almost certainly stays in Europe.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

Nunez is fun but this front office is addicted to guys who can’t shoot. 

[angelfacedmongoloid 80]

Picked up Harrison Ingram out of UNC with the 48th pick

 

[C-Man 27183]

SF Harrison Ingram/UNC with the 48th pick

[Michael Knight 12976]

Murray traded to Pelicans

 

 

Edited June 28 by Michael Knight

[Radical Larry 28539]

Murray, look at the Pelicans fly. 

[Kermit 3156]

[Michael Knight 12976]

Now they just need to dump Trae

[thepop 4409]

 https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/spurs-draft-night-trade-says-refusal-think-small-19547166.php?utm_campaign=CMS Sharing Tools (Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

 

Spoiler

Underneath a table on the practice court at Victory Capital Performance Center on Saturday morning, two crisp new white jerseys sat folded and waiting for the fourth and 48th overall selections in the 2024 NBA draft.

There was not a jersey for the No. 8 pick.

But there could have been one.

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And there almost was.

Three nights earlier, in a room not far from that practice court, all the members of the Spurs’ brain trust sat around a different table and came to a consensus. They were ready to draft a player at No. 8. They’d agreed on a prospect. And they were prepared to keep him.

But with seconds ticking away just before their pick was due, they received exactly the kind of offer they hoped would materialize Wednesday. The Minnesota Timberwolves wanted the Spurs’ selection, and they were willing to give up an unprotected 2031 first-rounder and the right to swap first-rounders in 2030 to get it.

 Over the phone, the Timberwolves gave the Spurs a name — Rob Dillingham of Kentucky. Just beating the buzzer, the Spurs passed Dillingham’s name along to the league.

Minutes later, when details of the trade were announced, fans watching the draft broadcast in the courtyard outside the practice facility had the same one-word question many people across the country did.

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Why?

Why didn’t the Spurs seize what looked like an easy opportunity to add some young, relatively inexpensive help for Victor Wembanyama?

Why did they trade for a pick they won’t be able to make for seven years when they already have too many draft assets to use on their own before then?

The answer is complicated, but it boils down to one motivating principle behind a trade like this:

Greed.

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Simply put, the Spurs don’t want a sixth Larry O’Brien trophy. They want an eighth, a ninth, a tenth. Their goal is not to win a championship in 2027. Their goal is to win EVERY championship from 2027 until, oh, 2035 or so.

That might sound unrealistic. It might sound certifiably insane. But blessed with the miracle that was the Wembanyama lottery, the Spurs consider it sacrilege to think small.

Yes, the tall Frenchman is good enough to start winning now, at age 20. Absolutely, if they wanted to, they could get aggressive and assemble a team that could make the playoffs this season.

But the objective isn’t a quick postseason run. The objective is a dynasty.

And in a vacuum, forward-thinking moves like Wednesday’s are a shrewd way to make that happen. Stocking up on draft capital years in advance allows good teams flexibility to add superstars, and allows great teams to replenish rosters with talent even in the new era of extra-punitive salary cap restrictions.

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Let’s say, two summers from now, the Spurs want to make a deal with a team starting a rebuild. That team won’t want Dillingham just as he starts to get expensive. Instead, that team will covet the types of assets that fit its own timeline. Like, say, a 2031 first-rounder.

That’s the method to the madness here. In the years to come, that 2031 pick only will appreciate in value. Had they taken a used the No. 8 pick on the wrong guy in an underwhelming draft, there’s a good chance the market for that player would never have been higher than it was Wednesday.

So the Spurs jumped at the chance to accept Minnesota’s offer, viewing the distant timing of the pick as a positive. As one member of the team’s front office put it, San Antonio has a “whole big chest of stuff” it can use in the coming years to acquire high-profile, long-term Wembanyama running buddies. And as another Spurs official noted, a 2031 pick from a current contender like the Timberwolves is more attractive than a 2025 selection would’ve been, because it allows time to “capitalize on chaos.”

Granted, as smart and as forward-thinking as that sounds, there are no guarantees it will work. There are huge risks associated with moves like this, and the Spurs know it.

For one, you’re counting on Wembanyama to see the endgame, and to support it. So far, he has. So far, he’s been completely, enthusiastically, unshakably on board. And he hasn’t shown the slightest hint he'll ever make any demands suggesting otherwise.

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Still, the Spurs know all too well how quickly that can change. All it takes is one moment of doubt, or one outside voice from a family member, and suddenly there’s a trade demand. To be sure, nobody in the building expects that to happen with Wembanyama.

Back in 2016, they also never expected it from Kawhi Leonard.

Even if Wembanyama remains committed, there’s another factor to consider when we talk about patience. In the next year or so, the Spurs are likely to announce plans for a downtown arena. Presumably, they will want public funds to help them build it.

Might it be easier to muster political support for such a request if the team is not mired in its sixth or seventh losing season in a row? Might showing some real progress on the court engender a little more goodwill than saying, “Trust us, we’ll be winners when the thing gets built?” Remember, the last time the Spurs asked the public for a new arena, they had the good fortune of doing so right after their first championship.

In other words, extreme patience has its potential long-term downsides, too.

So is there a middle ground here? Perhaps. With No. 4 pick Stephon Castle of Connecticut in the fold, the Spurs already added one potential impact player. Now they can use the cap space that would have gone to No. 8 to help acquire a free-agent shooter, plus a versatile, productive veteran leader (old friend Kyle Anderson, maybe?). And if there’s a chance to pounce on a deal that makes sense for a young All-Star like Utah’s Lauri Markkanen or Cleveland’s Darius Garland, future picks should help facilitate those deals.

The Spurs need to do something besides adding Castle and two second-rounders this summer. They almost certainly will.

And when they do?

The pick they almost made might lead to something better.

 

[Michael Knight 12976]

Oh no

 

 

[Patrick Bateman 3910]

and....

 

Some context for free agency....

 

[LTtxfan 49142]

Please don't bring in Chris Paul to Spurs 🙏

[Radical Larry 28539]

 

[Michael Knight 12976]

 

[Bolero88 277]

Booo

[Pam Cummings 9639]

Not the worst fit

[LTtxfan 49142]

2 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Please don't bring in Chris Paul to Spurs 🙏

 

2 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

 

 

fuk

[EZ$ 2102]

I like it. A vet PG who can get the ball to Wemby and won’t need to score. 

[Michael Knight 12976]

Better Chris Paul than Trae Young. He can finally win a championship 

Edited July 1 by Michael Knight

[LTtxfan 49142]

6 minutes ago, Pam Cummings said:

Not the worst fit

Just seems like Spurs are gonna be lucky to get maybe 50 games from 39yr old deteriorating point guard...

geez

 

Edited July 1 by LTtxfan

[LTtxfan 49142]

4 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

Better Chris Paul than Trae Young. He can finally win a championship 

Definitely did not want Trae Young in SA

[Braff Zacklin 13552]

6 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

Better Chris Paul than Trae Young. He can finally win a championship 

I was going to post this earlier when CP3 was released. 

A washed Chris Paul still better than a young Trae Young. And $11M is a bargain for his wisdom and leadership.

Now if we can just keep @Kermit from committing seppuku...

[Radical Larry 28539]

 

[thepop 4409]

CP3 is a bitch but great stop gap signing to mentor the kids.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

On 4/22/2024 at 12:29 PM, Mitch Cumsteen said:

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-warriors-waive-cp3-spurs-152206480.html

There's no chance the W's pick up that option and I can't imagine a team is going to sign on to pay him $30 million in a trade. So one way or the other Chris Paul is going to be on the market. He's probably more inclined to go ring chasing with his butt buddy Lebron anyway, and as much as I have been a CP3 hater all the way back to when he was at Wake and punched that dude in the junk, I would hold my nose and grudgingly kick the tires on him.

Nose officially held. For $11 million and only one year, this is a no brainier.

Hoping for Batum next and another shooter. 

[miguelito 11252]

He's not my favorite Wake Forest product. Maybe not even top 10.

[BurdineBandit 815]

1 hour ago, thepop said:

CP3 is a bitch but great stop gap signing to mentor the kids.

Damn, don't got to say much other than that to share my thoughts.

It's 1 year, we weren't winning the championship next year. Fuck it. Just don't leave a choking, flopping stench when you leave. Pick up after yourself and don't stain the jersey. 

[Kermit 3156]

[Radical Larry 28539]

It probably won’t even be a full season. We’ll probably trade him or buy him out at the deadline if he wants to chase a ring. 

[Michael Knight 12976]

Fuck all that shit we're winning the championship next year lets fucking go

[hornfan785 555]

Man, Chris Paul annoys me so much. But yeah, better than Trae Young.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

40 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

Fuck all that shit we're winning the championship next year lets fucking go

No that’s the best part. We still get to keep Chris Paul from getting a ring. 

[Pam Cummings 9639]

We're gonna win it as soon as he leaves.

[Hate 20106]

Goddamnit….seriously? What is he going to teach this team? How to make it to the play in game? How to flip like a goddamn fish out of water? I don’t care how much sense it makes, I can’t stand Chris Paul playing for the Spurs. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

9 minutes ago, Hate said:

Goddamnit….seriously? What is he going to teach this team? How to make it to the play in game? How to flip like a goddamn fish out of water? I don’t care how much sense it makes, I can’t stand Chris Paul playing for the Spurs. 

Look I hate that little fucker. I was reminded by my son last night that the two house rules I gave him a few years back were that he wasn’t allowed to root for Chris Paul or do heroin. 

But he was a great mentor for SGA when he was at OKC. He was great for Booker and even that bum Ayton at Phoenix. Both those teams started their upward trajectories when he was there.  The Spurs have literally no vets on this team to show these guys what it’s like to be a pro and how to win. None. There’s only so much the coaches can do. The learning curve is too great for them to figure it out on their own. You gotta have veteran leadership. You just do.

I think this will be fantastic for Castle’s development. This is a big year for Wesley. Even Jones isn’t a finished product. Chris Paul is an annoying, flopping, nut punching, whiny cunt but that State Farm whore has a PhD in point guard. 

This team was rudderless in crunch time. They lost so many close games that they couldn’t finish because they just didn’t know how.  CP may be washed, but he’s going to get them into the right sets. He’s not going to panic. He’s going to get them good possessions at the end of games. It’s going to translate to wins.

Don’t get me wrong. I will almost assuredly throw up in my mouth when I see that dickhead in black and silver but I think I’ll get over it the first time he hits Vic for a lob that none of his other teammates could even contemplate. 

[RichUT 1832]

Y'all are tripping. Do you want the Spurs to get better or not? He's going to be a valuable add to the locker room and we' re gonna get way more out of him than he'll get out of us. He's gonnal be super helpful for Castle's long term development and understanding of the game at this level. 

[Welch 635]

Agree totally.

I wasn’t upset last year because I expected to make the playoffs, I was upset because it felt like a completely wasted year to me.  I didn’t see any value in a bunch of clueless 20 year olds stumbling around for 82 games.

If CP can come in and teach these guys how to play and how to win games late, that’s incredibly valuable at this point imo.

[Hate 20106]

Someone please post all of Chris Paul’s “winning” that he can use to transfer knowledge to the young players on this team? Do you want them taught how to make it to the Conference Finals once in your career over the course of almost 20 years? 

[Pam Cummings 9639]

3 minutes ago, Hate said:

Someone please post all of Chris Paul’s “winning” that he can use to transfer knowledge to the young players on this team? Do you want them taught how to make it to the Conference Finals once in your career over the course of almost 20 years? 

Uh yeah I'll take a guy with his resume on a team with a bunch of players that have done absolutely zero in their careers. Yes, please.

[Michael Knight 12976]

It's not like we signed Karl Malone