Solving the wing logjam, someone has to go - but who?

[LeBowen]

With Carter pick, it's obvious someone has to go.
I don't expect Carter to play more than 15 to 20mpg in his rookie year, but he's a lottery pick with great physical tools, he surely won't be sent to Austin.

Assuming Fox/Harper/Castle get most of guard minutes, we have serious issues and some of our wings need to be consolidated into a starting PF upgrade.

96 minutes available for wing positions with Vassell, Keldon, Barnes, Sochan, Champagnie, Bryant all needing minutes. That's 6 players with 96 minutes available. Even if we DNP Champ which would be dumb and play Devin with just one of the three guards which would be even dumber, it's still a logjam.

Vassell - second best 3pt shooter on the team, we lose size if he plays with two guards, he has trouble adjusting to being an off the ball player and is a pretty poor defender. Health issues, potentially negative contract if he doesn't improve.

Keldon - outlived his purpose, great locker room presence and the vocal leader of the team, but he's a poor shooter and a traffic cone defense. Useless without the ball, but not good enough with it.

Barnes - out best shooter this season and the only true veteran on the team. Model professional which should be kept because we need one of those to lead these young guys. Bad defender at this stage.

Sochan - very good defender, potentially elite, good rebounder and tragic on offense. He can become a very good role player, but in his current state he's a detriment to our guards who aren't great shooters and also ruins spacing for Wemby.

Champagnie - one of the best value contracts in the league, doesn't complain if he doesn't play, but he definitely deserves minutes. Solid shooter, not a bad defender. Perfect 8th/9th man, maybe more as he's shown this season.

Bryant - what to expect? His minutes will depend on his shot, but he needs to get at least 15mpg. I feel like he's the player we expected Sochan to become.


We still need a legit starting PF, getting rid of Devin and Keldon to get one would be perfect if we can get positive value for them.

[HankChinaski]

I am expecting a combo of either Vassell + Barnes for X player or Keldon + Barnes for X as the big move for shoring up the roster and opening up rotation minutes.

[BatManu20]

Vassell and/or Keldon are the most obvious candidates. With KD to Houston though, I don't see who they would trade them for. Maybe John Collins on his expiring?

[LeBowen]

Vassell and/or Keldon are the most obvious candidates. With KD to Houston though, I don't see who they would trade them for. Maybe John Collins on his expiring?

PJ Washington, Aldama, John Collins would still be my PF targets.

Ideally Aldama because he's legit 6'11 and can play some backup C minutes.
We also need a veteran C.

[RC_Drunkford]

1. Keldon because he's the worst defender and a bad shooter

2. Barnes: love his leadership, but an expiring contract is valuable and he's as bad as Keldon on defense. You trade him now and can sign him again next offseason.

Both being at the crypto event doesn't really get my hopes up though.

[Mugen]

We have like 1 good wing tbh :lol

[Mr. Body]

I feel like Vassell is probably on the move. Champ is way too cheap and a good plug-in guy. Harrison is a stand-up vet and will probably keep starting.

[SpursBills]

The easy answer is Sochan if you feel him out and he's expecting something insane like 25 million+ AAV - Bryant basically gives you less defense but a better shot with similar size, so he's a hedge and makes Sochan more dispensible

If you think you can extend Sochan for something more reasonable like 15-18 million AAV or you think he won't be offended by getting taken to RFA, then it's definitely worth keeping him around to see if his shooting hits around his age 24-25 season like it does for many defensive wings.

In that scenario, it's Keldon by a mile since his rim pressure is getting duplicated by Harper and he doesn't provide any additional benefit

I think Champagnie is getting slept on hard and needs to get developed more - his improvement year over year is underrated and he should develop into a permanent fixture in the rotation.

Vassell isn't worth his contract but his value has bottomed out right now and he has several outs to improve both his play and the perception of his value around the league - the injury did him no favors and in the back half of the season he showed an ability to generate steals so if he continues that trend while his shot normalizes you can get better value for him in the future

Barnes is still needed for his vet leadership with so many young guys on the team and Paul's likely departure

[Mr. Body]

The easy answer is Sochan if you feel him out and he's expecting something insane like 25 million+ AAV - Bryant basically gives you less defense but a better shot with similar size, so he's a hedge and makes Sochan more dispensible

If you think you can extend Sochan for something more reasonable like 15-18 million AAV or you think he won't be offended by getting taken to RFA, then it's definitely worth keeping him around to see if his shooting hits around his age 24-25 season like it does for many defensive wings.

In that scenario, it's Keldon by a mile since his rim pressure is getting duplicated by Harper and he doesn't provide any additional benefit

I think Champagnie is getting slept on hard and needs to get developed more - his improvement year over year is underrated and he should develop into a permanent fixture in the rotation.

Vassell isn't worth his contract but his value has bottomed out right now and he has several outs to improve both his play and the perception of his value around the league - the injury did him no favors and in the back half of the season he showed an ability to generate steals so if he continues that trend while his shot normalizes you can get better value for him in the future

Barnes is still needed for his vet leadership with so many young guys on the team and Paul's likely departure

Sochan really isn't the same player as Carter at all in this equation.

[T Park]

Keldon. While Carter Bryant can be Cam Johnson, I still think you get him make him the starting 4.

Trade one or both of the Atlanta picks with Keldon cause they’re going to be useless

[SpursBills]

Sochan really isn't the same player as Carter at all in this equation.

You don't think so? If both of them pan out, I view them both as low friction big off-ball wings who can switch across multiple positions. Super valuable archetype where you can never have enough. How do you appreciate their differences? Do you view Sochan more as a big?

[spurraider21]

Keldon should be the first one out the door based on what he brings as a player, but power of friendship and all that

I think if the spurs do make a trade, their trade partner will cover Barnes on an expiring deal

[couchman]

Carter Bryant probably plays in Austin a lot this year.
He barely played in college. He needs minutes, not to sit on a bench.

[Mr. Body]

You don't think so? If both of them pan out, I view them both as low friction big off-ball wings who can switch across multiple positions. Super valuable archetype where you can never have enough. How do you appreciate their differences? Do you view Sochan more as a big?

No, I don't see Bryant and Sochan as the same, really, although hopefully in time Bryant can play the 4 in some way, if he's not close to able to do so right now. In any case, Bryant isn't ready for a lot of minutes at all, so getting rid of Sochan without a replacement would be a big mistake.

[Mr. Body]

Carter Bryant probably plays in Austin a lot this year.
He barely played in college. He needs minutes, not to sit on a bench.

I agree with this. I don't think we see a lot of him on the main squad. Some cameos.

[DAF86]

Keldon needs to GTFO, tbrh.

[Knoxxx]

Vassell for a big makes the most sense for roster construction and salary cap management.

[mo7888]

Offer Devin to Toronto for Jakob + Dick and see if they bite.

[Das Texan]

There is only one correct answer to this question.

That answer is moving Devin Vassell.

[poopbox]

1. Keldon because he's the worst defender and a bad shooter

2. Barnes: love his leadership, but an expiring contract is valuable and he's as bad as Keldon on defense. You trade him now and can sign him again next offseason.

Both being at the crypto event doesn't really get my hopes up though.

Would be shocked if they traded Barnes tbh, unless he ask for it / is ok with it. Remember he waived his trade kicker to come here. Literally gave up 3.7 million dollars to play in San Antonio. Spurs aren't going to just trade him somewhere for the sake of getting a better player unless he agrees to it.

[Guru of Nothing]

I love Champ and I would expect there to be a lot of interest in him. He's a very+ asset.

[R. DeMurre]

Bryant didn't even start at Arizona, surrounded by upperclassmen who mostly don't project as NBA players... so I'm thinking 15-20 mpg is about right. Marvin Williams is the guy he's drawing a lot of comparisons to, and he averaged about 25 mpg as a rookie for a Hawks team that went 26-56, but his college team was 33-4 and won a National Championship.

[spurraider21]

spurs shouldnt trade devin just to trade him. use him only in a trade where we're going after a big fish and need that salary matching. it should be KJ/HB traded along with Wesley if some more money is needed. i like wesley quite a bit more than branham, but we dont need a non shooting PG on this roster

[tbdog]

Carter Bryant won't be in the rotation this year. Unless the Spurs are bad.

[Robz4000]

Spurs wont trade anyone until the deadline imo, and it'll end up being Barnes.

[024]

Keldon needs to go ASAP. Spurs would actually be doing him a favor by giving him a fresh start somewhere else. He doesn't really have much of a role remaining on the team.

Then Vassell if the right trade comes along. Still would like to see how he adjusts to the Wemby/Fox/Harper/Castle hierarchy and whether he starts playing within that limit and improves his defense. I don't have high hopes there so best to trade him earlier than later before his value completely plummets.

[jesterbobman]

I think it will be (and should be) be Keldon. Mostly, we've got a lot of creation, he offers value as a 1:1 player that can help a team with limited high end creation, and can attack a but his shooting is a limitation.

I think adding both a PF and a C through a combination of FA (MLE) and a trade is the path to success next year. Keldon + a second round picks flotsam for (Aldama / Collins / ...), and a MLE C (Kornet etc) makes a pretty complete team. Ideally we'd flip another second and the expiring corpse of Malaki Branham for a decent player (Hauser etc) to fill out the rotation.

[Kawhi Duncan]

sochana nd keldon....we had a significantly better record with sochan out last year when wemby played...his good defense is completely offset by his horrid floor spacing, and he will never ever be a floor spacer...hindering the team and wombs development to see if sochan can ever grow to be a shooter is malpractice

[cutewizard]

To the power of friendship,

thank you for your service......

lol

[RC_Drunkford]

Would be shocked if they traded Barnes tbh, unless he ask for it / is ok with it. Remember he waived his trade kicker to come here. Literally gave up 3.7 million dollars to play in San Antonio. Spurs aren't going to just trade him somewhere for the sake of getting a better player unless he agrees to it.

his leadership will be needed. Keldon + Branham is enough to get a starting PF. Then we got the whole MLE for a back up center. That's pretty much all we need.

[Pauleta14]

Positionless basketball guys...

[timtonymanu]

The Spurs are gonna wait it out until a really good trade comes along.

With Carter on board, it better be Keldon first.

[SpursGenius]

his leadership will be needed. Keldon + Branham is enough to get a starting PF. Then we got the whole MLE for a back up center. That's pretty much all we need.
Keldon is trash. Definitely needs to go. He is lucky we were devoid of talent and he got the big contract. Trade his ass and srp x2 for John Collins. Or big up the Philly guy for cheap at pf. Yes mle for defensive center. 38 would have gotten us nice athletic backup center penn state guy. But Brian wrong punts srps because he is a baffoon

[poopbox]

his leadership will be needed. Keldon + Branham is enough to get a starting PF. Then we got the whole MLE for a back up center. That's pretty much all we need.

Leadership needed to do what? People always say this about us having veterans but I haven't seen it pay off. Our young players did the same dumb shit on the court last season under the "leadership" of Barnes and Paul as they did the year before they got here.

[Dejounte]

Keldon’s been reaching out to both Carter and Dylan. He looks like he’s staying.

I think Vassell is the odd man out. He needs to be traded for a backup big.

Fox/ Wesley
Harper/ Julian
Castle/ Keldon
Barnes/ Sochan/ Bryant
Wemby/ Trade/ Bassey

[mo7888]

Carter Bryant won't be in the rotation this year. Unless the Spurs are bad.

I think he's gets minutes either way. They'll put him in with a focus only on defense and catch and shoot 3's and keep his role very simple. He can do that now. He'll look better during the season in a limited role than he will with an expanded role in SL.

[Ice009]

Keldon’s been reaching out to both Carter and Dylan. He looks like he’s staying.

I think Vassell is the odd man out. He needs to be traded for a backup big.

Fox/ Wesley
Harper/ Julian
Castle/ Keldon
Barnes/ Sochan/ Bryant
Wemby/ Trade/ Bassey

Darn, I was hoping Keldon being at the sponsorship event the other day didn't mean anything. I thought maybe they just got Keldon cause he's always up to help out. They probably didn't want to both guys like Steph who is likely busy working on his game ;).

[buttsR4rebounding]

Carter Bryant probably plays in Austin a lot this year.
He barely played in college. He needs minutes, not to sit on a bench.

This is correct. Having said that a true contender needs probably at least 4 guys who are considered 3 and D capable. At least 2 of them have to be high level if not elite. Right now we have IMO one guy who fills this role, but is average at best and that is Champ. If Sochan can become an average 3 point shooter he could be a high level 3&D guy. If you make the assumption (and at this point that is all it is) that Carter can become a high level 3&D player then you are lacking at least one more. Of the players in this pool I see the following:

1. Barnes: Not a long term solution. Great guy to have on the team. Superb 3 point shooter, but no defense. Currently more of a premium version of McDermott.
2. Keldon: Serves as an energy guy off the bench. His defense is lacking and his 3 point shot which once was decent has declined badly.
3. Devin: To me this is a critical season for Devin. If he can adjust his game to focus on being a catch and shoot player on offense and expend the saved energy on defense he could become a decent 3&D player. The question would then become is a decent 3&D player worth $27 million a year.
4. Branham: He shot 40.5% from 3 last year on reduced attempts, but he makes Keldon look like a DPOY candidate.
5. Wesley: I love the defensive energy he brings, but he shot 29% from 3 last year. He shot 38.5% from 3 his rookie year which gives a glimmer of hope, but his 63% career FT% casts a dark shadow on that glimmer.

So while Bryant spends time in Austin this year the Spurs will be working on 2 tracks. The first is developing the core: Wemby's development and health; the fit between Fox, Castle and Harper; integration of new defensive schemes. The 2nd being the sorting out supporting cast. I see it playing out like this: They sign a back up center and a PF into some combonation of MLE and BAE. No one gets traded. Devin gets lots of early PT to adjust to his new role, probably as a starter. Jeremy plays a bunch during the pre-season with instructions to shoot the 3 at every opportunity. If it appears that he has made a signifcant improvement in his 3 point shot he starts at the 4 (even though his long term value is maximized as a 3). That would give you a starting lineup of Wemby, Fox, Castle, Devin and Sochan. If Sochan doesn't show 3 point shooting improvement then he reverts to his role off the bench and the PF they sign likely starts although Barnes could be the guy to begin the season. Harper is the 1st guy off the bench. Keldon continues his role as energy guy off the bench. If his 3 point shot looks more like year 3 Keldon than year 6 Keldon he likely is a long term piece of the Spurs team going forward. Blake Wesley will be a deep bench player used for his energy on defense. If his offensive game doesn't show significant improvement he is not extended a qualifying offer next year if not traded before. Branham is not extended a QO next year unless traded beforehand. I believe Devin is ultimately traded. I believe the team is hoping that he embraces his new role--shoots a high percentage from 3 and plays adequate defense to increase his trade value, but that his role as a more of a 3&D guy is not in line with his salary. Whether that trade occurs before the trade deadline or next summer it seems like a necessary move given everything that has occurred since he signed that contract.

[Raven]

barnes needs to go and one of blake and malaki doesn't project to see any minutes, which is a shame as there was sell high potential there

[LeBowen]

Situation as of now, without any trades.
My personal guesstimation based on what we've seen this year.
I won't use traditional positions, but roles on our team because some of the players can't play together, like Castle and Sochan.
Also, even though Vassell is in the secondary playmaker position, Castle would have the ball when they're on the floor together.

240 minutes available.

Primary playmaker:
Fox 34
Harper 14

Secondary playmaker:
Vassell 30
Harper 18 (32 total)

Point of attack defender:
Castle 32
Sochan 16

Off the ball wing:
Barnes 24
Keldon 10
Bryant 10
Champagnie 4

Rim protector:
Wemby 34
Sochan 14 (30 total)


As you can see, it absolutely can't work.
Even if we assume Bryant gets sent to Austin and Champagnie (undeservedly) starts catching DNPs again, it still can't work.
Especially when we get an actual backup big and Jeremy loses those minutes.
That's without even getting a starting PF we desperately need.

We can't lose Barnes because noone else was even close to his 3pt efficency.
I understand that PATFO values Devin, but if there's positive value to be had, we need to do it.
Champagnie also doesn't deserve to go back to being the 12th man despite all of his good work this season.

Replacing Keldon and Vassell (or Barnes if they really value Vassell that much) with a starting PF and backup C solves our issues.
Until then we can talk about positionless basketball with a fundamentally flawed roster.

Three years ago Wright has shown us that he was a great salesman, got a lot of value while we were tanking.
Over the past year he's shown that he can also be a great buyer since we got Fox for dirt cheap and were paid to take Barnes.
Now it's the time he shows he's got the authority to make tough decisions, friendship crew needs to go.

[Seventyniner]

The idea that the Spurs won't trade any of the "power of friendship" crew doesn't jive with the fact that they did trade players that they were in love with in the past, like Hill/Dejounte/White. They also let Lonnie walk in free agency.

The Spurs do value continuity more than most teams but they haven't been as stubborn about it, to the detriment of team-building, as some accuse them of.

[picnroll]

Carter Bryant probably plays in Austin a lot this year.
He barely played in college. He needs minutes, not to sit on a bench.

Agree. Somebody still needs to go between Vassell, Keldon, hopefully not Champaigne or Barnes to shore up the PF and C positions

[Leetonidas]

Keldon and Vassell are the obvious ones. Team would be better just by not having their trash asses in the rotation

[Darkwaters]

I feel like Vassell is probably on the move. Champ is way too cheap and a good plug-in guy. Harrison is a stand-up vet and will probably keep starting.

I think you're reading this perfectly.

Barnes is still a valuable player and will provide excellent mentorship to these young players (especially Carter Bryant). You don't really have a lot of good savvy vets that can serve as mentors on the squad and I wouldn't discard him too quickly.

Champanie is dirt cheap and has two years left. Absolutely no reason to dump him.

Vassell seems like the guy whose role is most endangered. He's a mostly on-ball player on a squad that has four other superior ball dominant players (Fox, Harper, Castle, Wemby).

You didn't mention Keldon, but I think he could very easily be traded as well. He's on a very reasonable contract with only two years left. And he's in a logjammed position and doesn't do the kinds of things San Antonio really needs at this point.

[Tyrone Jenkins]

So who shoots better?

Carter or Sochan?
Keldon and Vassel?

To me, we have only 1 proven 3-D on the team and he's old (Barnes). We need a stretch 4-D (backup C) and it needs to be a non-rookie (vet).

I know John Collins just exercised his option but perhaps Utah moves on from him now w/ Ace Bailey...

[mo7888]

My question in regard to Collins is, what direction does Utah want to go in? They want to tank they probably move him for a protected pick, but if they want to balance the team and actually try to compete then a Collins for Devin swap could benefit both teams if Collins is willing to extend at a reasonable number.

[Dejounte]

Devin Vassell is still the only one who hasn’t acknowledged the new draftees. Hasn’t followed them. Hasn’t posted IG stories about them like others have (even Wesley). He’s gone. The question is for who?

[LeBowen]

Devin Vassell is still the only one who hasn’t acknowledged the new draftees. Hasn’t followed them. Hasn’t posted IG stories about them like others have (even Wesley). He’s gone. The question is for who?

Time to materialize my dream trade.

Devin
'30 swap returned
SRPs

for

PJ Washington
Gafford

I'd even throw in that '26 first if we can pull this off.


Fox/Harper
Castle
Barnes/Champagnie/Bryant
Washington/Sochan
Wemby/Gafford

And then we gift Keldon to whoever wants to take him.

[Dejounte]

I think i’d trade Devin(along with firsts) to the Nets for Claxton

[LeBowen]

I think i’d trade Devin(along with firsts) to the Nets for Claxton

I'd include firsts only if we also get Cam for Keldon.
'26 FRP and idk which would be the other one. Probably '29, but I wouldn't mind doing '28.

[mo7888]

I'd include firsts only if we also get Cam for Keldon.
'26 FRP and idk which would be the other one. Probably '29, but I wouldn't mind doing '28.

I agree with this

[RC_Drunkford]

Devin Vassell is still the only one who hasn’t acknowledged the new draftees. Hasn’t followed them. Hasn’t posted IG stories about them like others have (even Wesley). He’s gone. The question is for who?

he's in Paris working out with Wemby

[Das Texan]

I think i’d trade Devin(along with firsts) to the Nets for Claxton

seems a bit high for Speedy Claxton, but I'd still do it.

[RC_Drunkford]

I think Vassell is the guy you keep for a bigger deal down the line. His contract is perfect for that type of deal (if the Spurs ever want to make such a move).

Trading Keldon would immediately make our team better on both ends, which is why he's first on my "needs to get traded" list.

I agree getting a starting 4 and a back up big is what needs to happen. The back up C can even be somewhat expensive like a Claxton or Gafford since we have a wing logjam with players being overpaid.

[SpursGenius]

Keldon’s been reaching out to both Carter and Dylan. He looks like he’s staying.

I think Vassell is the odd man out. He needs to be traded for a backup big.

Fox/ Wesley
Harper/ Julian
Castle/ Keldon
Barnes/ Sochan/ Bryant
Wemby/ Trade/ Bassey
Mamu more likely to sign. But I want bassey too. Free agency market thin at center. Would need to trade for one. Wish dum fucks would get back in second round get Fleming or penn state center. Or Stanford center.

[Ice009]

he's in Paris working out with Wemby

For real? Darn, there goes thoughts about the Spurs are still looking to trade him sometime soon.

[Obstructed_View]

I shudder to think how unimproved Jeremy's jumper has to be for Bryant to be in the rotation. I'm also pretty shocked at how many people rank Champ at the bottom of this list. I expect him to be LDN in the next two years.

[TD 21]

It seems like they're only open to Barnes, but that was also for upgrades like Durant and Porzingis.

It needs to be Johnson. There's no place on this team for an undersized 3 who can't shoot or defend.

They need a stretch five next to Sochan off the bench and a stopgap shooter on the wing until (unless?) Carter is ready.

[spurs10]

Spurs wont trade anyone until the deadline imo, and it'll end up being Barnes. Best 3pt shooter on the team. Losing him ain't wise imho. He will be mentoring Bryant, who i doubt lives in Austin this season.

[RC_Drunkford]

1937870837236834756

[venitian navigator]

Imho with 82 regular season games you cant have enough good players, expecially at the wings...I like what we have,there willbeminutes for everybody...and then the starting line up Will have time tò rest enough tò avoid injuries...did anybody noticed how many ACL, achilles and other non contact injuries have happend this season? The game Is more and more pushing bodies over the limit and There Is no sign NBA wants tò Stretch the 82 games in s longer period...this means actually that more and more teams Will have to realize they need all 15 plus 3 (2 ways) roster players tò be and effective part of the teams, with more than enough minutes available tò contribute and show their valute and skills...

[ambchang]

I am not overly concerned about the PG/SG situation, as between Harper and Castle, there is enough versatility to switch between PG/SG and even SF. Fox, offensively, plays more like a SG, and on defence Harper or Castle can play either the SG/SF roles while Fox takes on the defence on PG, and we don't lose too much size at the PG and SG spot. SF is a little under-height, but strength-wise, Castle can hold his own. I don't see a situation where one of them HAS to come off the bench, they can all play together as long as they start getting better in off-ball movements. Harper and Fox would be very difficult to stop if they can just get the ball and drive hard to the basket. Castle going downhill is also a foul magnet. These are things MATFO has to figure out and work out a coherent offensive system to take advantage of those skills.

Keldon can be a decent bench piece for instant offence, if he ever gets his shot back consistently. His defence is beyond hope, he will likely never be an average, or even slightly below average defender. I appreciate his effort, but he just isn't a defender, he just doesn't think like that. But when he is only focused to battering-ramming his way to the rim, mixed with a few outside open shots, he could be a useful bench change of pace piece when offence is needed. His contract isn't terrible with two years left at $17.5M/yr, and given Wemby, Castle and Harper are still on rookie deals, it doesn't really hurt that much to keep him on the roster. As much as we like to make fun of the power of friendship, him bringing up the morale of the team with his infectious positive attitude does have it's value, whether it's $17.5/yr worth of value is another question.

Wesley is a deep-bench piece so I am not overly worried about this. He has shown flashes of potential, and last year he became a better decision maker. His shooting is ghastly, but he is at least shooting them, to a degree. He is still below average as a player in the league, but if he was above average, he'd be starting. Him doing what he did, keep his head down and improving, as a 25th pick, is something I have to give kudos to him for. I still like him, I wish him further improvement, whether with the Spurs or somewhere else. Hope he can turn it into a Jeff Teague/Lindsay Hunter/Brandon Knight type of career. I will be rooting for him where ever he goes.

Sochan is better suited as a SF on defence, and PF on offence (because he can't shoot at all, or worse yet, won't shoot). He is a good cutter, he is a very good offensive rebounder so those count, but he does bog down the offence and if Carter ever develops fully (not likely in the short term) and a rim running, rebounding PF could be found, Sochan would become expendable. That said, his on ball perimeter defence is very strong, and he has the versatility to guard 1 to 4 (small 4) so that is something that isn't overly easy to replace. I don't think he has to be a lights out, or even average shooter. 32%, 4 attempts a game would help open up his own game, and more importantly the Spurs offence so much.

Barnes I still want to keep for his veteran presence alone. He can stroke it from outside which is a big plus. He may not be vocal but he seems to be patient type who would help guide the younger players to do the right thing. He would occasionally create some offence but those are few and far between. Only if he could rebound like a normal PF, but alas.

Vassell, I don't know. On paper his shooting is needed. In fact, he has a better eFG% than Fox, but he kept putting up these questionable shots and absolutely putrid defence. I think he still has good value around the league so trading him out for a PF or a backup C could help the team. But then we lose an offensive creator who can nail tough shots once in a while. To me, he really isn't that much worse than Cam Johnson, but I really have no patience left for his game.

Julian Champagnie is a keeper for sure, incredible contract, doesn't make too many dumb mistakes, plays within his role, can shoot it straight, reminds me of a Temu Danny Green, at a Temu price. The next step really is to have him be more of a threat from inside the arc. He actually shot more than double in 3s than he did 2s last year, which is why his FG% is so bad even though his 2p and 3p %s aren't terrible. His eFT% was actually passable. He has to start expanding his offensive game a little more though. He pretty much cannot create at all, when 97% of his 3s were assisted, and 73.5% of his 2s were as well, and those are his career lows already (used to be about 100% and 85% respectively). That's his role and he does well in it, but it wouldn't hurt if he can start, little by little, expand his game to put some more pressure on the defence. He shoots 90% from the line, but only shoots 1.1 a game, which is sort of a waste. That said, perhaps he did well in his role because it's so limited.

Branham I think should be gone by now, just didn't see any improvements from him in 3 years. He was a swing, and there is a place for him in the league. He can heat up in a hurry but he can also go absolutely invisible for long stretches. The guy actually ranks #5 on the team in points per possession, which is insane. Part of it is small sample size, part of it is he plays in garbage time, but the reality is that he is not afraid to let it fly. Whether that's a good thing of not is up to you (I think it's not), but in the right system, Branham can be a useful bench player, I am just pretty sure that system is not the Spurs.

[Ocotillo]

^^ nice post

[callo1]

Sochan is a major piece of the core and should not be traded imo. He has elite defense for his position and his stroke is looking greatly improved from the latest work he put in.

I would like Barnes to stay. This team needs a vet and he still plays solid defense and that corner 3 is money.

Love our longest tenured Spur Kelden, but he is undersized for a wing and can't shoot good enough to play sg. I know they tried to improve his defense by having him drop weight in hopes he could guard sg's, but it didn't yield good enough results.

Devin is one of those players that seems to play his best when he is the guy, but can't seem to bring consistency when he isn't. With his contract being too high, he is the next to go imo, but finding a team to take him might be a tough sell atm. I think teams are going to take some time to see what they have and a trade is more likely based on need before the trade deadline.

Branham just has to go period. There is no room for him at this point.

[TimmyBuckets]

First world problems. Harper is far-and away the second best player in this draft with All-Star potential. Worst case, if Fox leaves in a few years, we have an insane Harper-Castle duo. Harper is a super cheap second string guard, that will probably start some games if Fox/Castle sit out. If he improves his jumper, which I'm sure he will, he'll be amazing.

I get the logjam concern, but I’m not rushing to dump guys just to clear space. Sochan is super valuable defensively—switchable, high motor, can guard 1–4—and if he ever figures out the shot or at least plays next to real spacing (Bryant, Vassell, Castle, etc.), he fits fine. You don’t give up on that upside at 21 just because the offense is behind. That’s on the coaching staff to scheme smarter lineups. Vassell still has the highest ceiling at SG. He’s streaky and frustrating, sure, but he's also the only one who consistently creates his own shot on the wing and can shoot off movement. That has real value, especially once Fox and Castle start drawing real defensive attention. Bryant's not ready yet, but if he hits, we’ll finally have some real shooting at the 3/4 to balance Sochan.

Keldon’s the obvious odd man out if someone has to go. Love the energy, love the locker room presence, but his fit gets murkier every year. That said, he’s still a perfect change-of-pace scorer off the bench—basically a turbocharged sixth man.

But trading Vassell just to "solve the logjam" or for some mid-tier PF is a bad idea. Unless we’re getting a real long-term piece back, you don’t deal your best shooting wing when your franchise player is a big who needs spacing.

[spurraider21]

Sochan provides very good man to man perimeter defense. He defends 2's and 3's very well. he doesnt defend bigs particularly well. he is a reasonable rebounder for a 4. doesnt provide much by way of rim protection. i dont see his team/help defense as anything remarkable.

offensively he plays more like a 4/5 as mostly a cutter/dunker. 75% of his FGA come within 10 feet. on those shots between 3-10 feet, he shot 36%. he's basically a restricted area scorer while being 6'8 and not particularly burly

given the disconnect between what he does on defense and what he does on offense, it becomes quite difficult to assemble a lineup with him that covers our bases on both ends. luckily for him wemby is a stretch 5, but with our subpar shooting from both guard spots, its hard to see sochan working out long term unless his shooting changes drastically. if he is paid as a bench defender/energy guy, then fine, keep him around. jonathan isaac basically has that role for Orlando, is a much more impactful help defender, and he was signed to a 4/59 deal (it was technically 5/84 with a renegotiation but they overpaid in the first year because they had cap room to do so, so he got paid 25 mil that first year). that deal already looks terrible, but thats also due to isaac being consistently hurt.

the silver lining with him is how young he is, as he was one of the younger guys in that draft class. he's a 3 year vet and just turned 22 last month. for reference cedric coward, one of the guys we were looking at with the 14 pick, will be 22 before the season starts

[Truckules]

Omitting low minutes shared, Wemby's best pairings by net point differential per 100 possessions last season were with CP3 (+6.2), Sochan (+5.9), Barnes (+5.4), and Champ (+4.4), and the worst by far were with Keldon (-3.3) and Vassell (-3.1): https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wembavi01/lineups/2025#all_lineups-2-man. Obviously, that doesn't tell the whole story due to who else is on the court, but I think it matches what my eyes saw. Vassell had a down year so it's fair to think there might be a recovery. Looking at Wemby's rookie season, Vassell was his second best pairing (+1.6) but Keldon was fifth (-4.4): https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wembavi01/lineups/2024#all_lineups-2-man.

I'm not rushing Keldon out the door as he may have utility off the bench, but he's clearly the odd man out in my eyes.