Biggest worries/wishes for this draft/offseason
The West is so tough and the path for the Spurs being contenders is there but not easy. Here are my biggest worries. No particular order. Feel free to post what you worry and wish for.
Giannis gets traded to the West: this is pretty obvious. If Giannis comes west wherever he goes will make that team better in the short term.
Mavericks find a capable point guard: this team becomes scary if they find a PG. Not as worried about them right now with Kyrie being out/ineffective when he comes back next season. He may never be the same player. But if they swing a trade for let’s say a Darius Garland that’s tough. Trae Young? That would be scarier even if it does come with the bonus of improved hawks picks. Not sure they have the trade assets but still worrisome
Rockets find their PG of the future: Rockets are a super deep well rounded team with the best defense in the NBA. Led the league in rebounding. Shooting is suspect for this team but they can fix that by finding a way to get Reid Sheppard involved. I don’t see Sheppard as a lead pg though. More of a shooter that can bring the ball up if needed. Not a playmaker. Vanvleet is terrific for them but he didn’t shoot the ball well last season and is starting to show a decline in play. Amen Thompson is looking like a future star especially if he develops as a better shooter but he hasn’t really shown playmaking chops. Sure Sengun has playmaking ability but he can’t shoot and his potential is probably maxed out. If they find a PG fro the future that can be a playmaker and shoot. They will be a very tough team. Kasparas Jakucionis making it up 10 or a trade that lands them that type of player would be scary.
Thunder using their war chest: Thunder are already the top dogs in the west but if they landed another star player especially one that fits their timeline. That would be tough. The 97 first round draft picks or whatever it is amazing but you can only have 15 players on the roster. Right now I think they can be surpassed. If they add another top 15 player and have all that depth. Extremely tough.
Blazers find a Star: sure any team in the west finding a star is worrisome but I really like the way the Blazers are building their team. Very well balanced. They are missing that go to Franchise player.
Lakers blowing it up and building around Luka: with LeBron/Luka there is no path for the lakers to get better. But let’s say they part ways with LeBron. Or LeBron takes less money in pursuit of another ring. We all know these mf’s will find another star to pair with Luka. The league will force it. The current roster makes no sense. Let’s hope they try to make it the Luka/Lebron/Bronny show for several more years. They will be too far behind to catch up.
The rest of the west I’m not really worried on the Spurs timeline.
Jazz are way behind and tanking with no luck
Kings, Pelicans, Grizzlies and Suns are caught in the mediocracy treadmill
Clippers, Warriors and Nuggets are aging.
Timberwolves are also aging, yes they have Edwards but they are soon to be in cap with no path to get better
Out east it is getting pathetic.
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Out with the bad. In with the good. No particular order. Top wishes for this offseason:
Spurs remain patient: Giannis and other superstars added to the team would be great but let’s pump the brakes. Spurs haven’t even made the postseason yet in this new era. A time may come when a big trade makes sense but the time is not now. The price for a Giannis only goes down over time. Maybe that can be revisit come trade deadline or next offseason but if the Bucks trade him this offseason the Spurs should stay out of that sweepstakes.
Spurs keeping Cap flexibility: Speaking of patience have you seen the free agent class for next offseason. It’s stacked. Of course many of those players could sign extensions but I’m not so sure. With the new CBA and 2nd/3rd apron penalties teams may pause on max deals. Spurs would be wise to keep cap flexibility and that includes not extending De’Aaron Fox right away. I don’t think anybody does anything until Luka signs an extension. Once that happens there may be a domino effect but until then remain patient.
Rebounding: Spurs must improve their rebounding at all costs. They are bottom of the league in every rebounding category and in 2nd Chance points. It’s the Spurs biggest weakness in my eyes. Yes, it would be great to improve shooting, defense and offense. All the things but you simply can’t win in this league if you are not at least league average at rebounding. Take care of the basketball and rebounding. Teams that do that win regardless of play tempo or style.
Victor Wembanyama takes the next step: already one of the top players in this league but still alot of question marks. Priority number 1 is health. Doesn’t sound like the blood clot will be a long term issue at all but definitely hoping for a healthy season/career. Conditioning needs to be better. I’m not sure if it’s rest or more consistency with cardio training. We all know Victor works hard but something is off. Maybe because of his frame this will always be an issue but my hope is that it will get better. An improved offensive bag and better decision making. Right now Victor is a shooter, a lob threat and has a nice one/two dribble pull up game. Would love to see more dominance in the post. Would love to see him tighten his handle. Would love to see him become a better transition player. Would love to see him get to the line more. All things he definitely has the skillset to improve at. Decision making also needs to become better. Shot selection is not always the best. Down 15 or up 10 take those shots. Cool with it. In close games though the Spurs need to maximize their possessions and that starts with Victor. Leadership. Already one of the leaders of the team but I want him to take that even further. Chris Paul brought a lot of leadership and I’m glad he was there last season. More than likely he will be gone. Barnes brings some of that as well. Pop is gone. I’m hopeful for Mitch Johnson as a leader but he is still learning. Leadership needs to come from Victor. He needs to hold himself and the team accountable. Be the vocal leader and lead by example. I believe he will be up for the task and I’m excited to see that. Any championship aspirations moving forward start and end with his leadership.
Castle and Sochan improve as shooters: I’m fairly certain both of these players will be on the roster so I’m most excited about their developments. Shooting is the obvious question mark. A 3-4% bump and higher volume would be an amazing start.
Spurs hire a quality defense assistant coach: Mitch is going to implement his offensive style that is best suited for this team but he needs backup on defense. They basically need to hire a top defensive coordinator. Someone that will be in charge of that side of that ball. I’m not sure who the candidates for that are but I’m hoping the spurs find the right guy.
Spurs nail the draft: We are all fairly certain they will pick Harper at 2 but you never know with Brian Wright. He picked Vassell over Halliburton. Primo over Sengun. Sochan over JDub. Primo was only one that really hurts though. I think he is very good Gm though. My hope is for Harper at 2. Big at 14 or via trade down. Actually draft a dude at 38 instead of a guy that will agree to a two-way or being stashed. Especially in a deep draft. I think it’s possible to find a rotational player in the early 2nd round this year. I’m not opposed to trading 14 for a future unprotected 1st and a pick swap like last draft but I would rather pick someone in this deep class.
Add the right pieces in free agency/via trade: as of right now the spurs don’t have a ton of rosters spots available especially if they keep picks 2 and 14 but that could change. Branham and Wesley are expendable. Vassell, Barnes, Keldon and Champangie could be trade assets. Bassey has a non guaranteed contract and the spurs may move on because of the injury history. Mamu is a free agent. Chris Paul is a free agent. Biyomba thanks for your service but no thanks. Like I stated earlier rebounding should be the highest priority. Doubling or even tripling down on versatile bigs would be my wish. You need to be covered in case Wemby’s conditioning issues remain or worst case he gets injured. After that shooting, shooting and more shooting. Preferably of the 3 and D variety. I don’t want to go until detail on exact players because it’s too early to speculate on who will be available but rebounding, shooting, defense and versatility are my wishes.
Teams blowing it up in the West throwing assets East : I really hope more teams realize they are not going to win in the west and tear up their teams. The 2026 draft is another loaded draft especially at the top. 2026 free agency is stacked. The west is brutal. Some teams sending assets East for a tank would be nice. Teams shedding salary to position themselves for 2026 offseason would be nice. As of right now under perfect cir stances you can make a case for every team in the west making the playoffs next season. It’s so tough. James Harden opting out and going east would be awesome. Durant, Booker, Kawhi, Markkanen, Morant, Zion and Sabonis in theory could be on the move. Send them East. The east is wide open and some of those teams may buy in. I’m hoping for some western conference tear downs.
Hawks have a rough season and Celtics blow it up: out east my only wishes are for the Hawks not to get better for obvious reasons and the Celtics to blow it up. Hoping the Hawks miss on their two 1st round picks. Make some stupid trades. Sign some players that don’t fit. No offense to the hawks but be bad. I don’t want to root for injuries so the other option is they just don’t play well. I’m not talking about barely missing the playoffs bad. I’m talking about bottom of the east bad. If that happened not only would that trade swap in 2026 be looking real nice as an asset but they will probably fully blow up the team next offseason leading to the 2027 hawks 1st rising in value. I want it to be Fire Quin Snyder/Trae Young wants out level of bad. The next closet asset on the timeline for the spurs is the 2028 pick swap from the Celtics top pick protected. I want the Celtics to start a multi year rebuild. Jaylen Brown traded to another Eastern Conference team. Derrick White gone, Kornet bye. Keep Porzingus because he will be irrelevant by 2028. Tear the team down. Obviously Tatum is not going anywhere but if he has to carry a bunch of young guys and/or washed vets come 2028 that’s yet another asset if the Spurs can swap a late 1st for a pick in the 10-20 range. With the Mavericks landing Cooper Flagg the only other future assets the spurs have that could prove to be valuable are the 2030 Timberwolves pick swap if Edwards was no longer on the team or the 2031 Kings pick swap. That’s a long ways away. They also have 700 second round picks but those are more valuable in minor trades. Or as a way to build them team if you become an apron team which might happen if Harper, Castle and Wemby reach projections.
Derik Queen gets drafted by the Wizards or Nets: he is my biggest pet cat in this draft. Yeah his athleticism sucks. I still stand by him being extremely talented though. Love the player and the personality. Maybe he is not a dog when it comes to training but on the court you won’t find to many with his mentality. He wants the ball. He wants to lead. He believes in himself. He has a fun personality. Fun game. I want to see him go somewhere he can be the guy. The offensive engine. I think he could be a star. Doesn’t make sense on the Spurs anymore but want him to succeed. Definitely don’t want to deal with him in the West but I’m excited to watch him in the NBA.
I thought I would start this thread as an all encompassing worries/wish list for the off-season/draft so feel free to share your thoughts or what you would like to see happen. Even if it’s just one worry and one wish. It doesn’t even have to be Spurs related. So many different paths for the Spurs. It’s super exciting. Basketball is becoming bigger and bigger globally and I’m glad the Spurs could be the face of that moving forward.
Mitch Johnson either is a genius pick by Pop...
or
a bad decision and wemby's first years of his career are ruined.
That is it and that is the ball game.
*edit -
oh...and judging by his first half season - this is not going to end well- unfortunately. I will pull for him but he didn't show anything impressive IMHO.
Whew that was a long read. I always tell my sales team, stop worrying about other people. Worry about yourself. Spurs have the potential of recreating that scary “Beautiful Game” with players approaching AS caliber, 2 already are. With Wemby hungry and probably pissed for not being in the playoffs yet after his 2nd year. Believe me, this kid is shooting for greatness. Timmy was a champion on his 2nd year, and Wemby was supposed to be the 2nd coming of Jordan/LeBron combined. He was going to be the greatest that ever played the game. So get ready for 3rd year Wemby!
Castle was freshly minted as the ROTY, and should have gotten ALL the votes. The kid is ready to prove himself as one of the best out there, already back at it at the gym. He will be stronger and will be working on his shots for hours. He gets the memo. He will be game ready come opening night.
Fox did not leave the comforts of home for nothing. He saw an opportunity to ring it with Wemby. He wouldn’t want anything less. He has the opportunity to help resurrect this proud franchise back on top. He knows he would be the lead wolf with CP3 most likely leaving. He will be ready.
I don’t expect a lot from Dylan. But with 3 caliber players around him, he can sneak in and do damage. Any other year, Dylan would’ve been the 1st pick. Guess what. Alphas have a way of proving themselves that they are indeed the number one regardless which year. Yes, I think he’ll be gunning down that ROTY trophy away from Flagg.
The thing that worries me is the FO standing pat on the rest of the roster. I expect them to evaluate the 3-guard offense but when it’s ready for tweaks and changes, I expect them to move mountains to get the right personnel to bring vets and equally coaches to make it work. Yes it’s the biggest worry, not from other organizations that Spurs don’t have control in, but being “too nice” to let go of people, cutting that weight off. I know in the long run it benefits them as that “classy” organization who takes care of its players and people. But sometimes I wish them to act tough and not be “too nice.” It’s the “Spurs way.” Standing pat is my biggest concern.
I wonder who made the decision to put Mitch as head coach when Pop had his stroke? I would assume that Pop was out of it for the first two weeks after the stroke so either someone else made that decision or Pop had this planned out before stroke?
My worry is the Spurs won’t surround Mitch with people he needs to be successful as in another thread we really need a defensive coach and a ex player with Playoff experience. Would love to get JVG and Splitter as I think both would greatly help us out going forward
I don't really think the West is as stacked as some do. OKC is legit, but it won't make any big moves.
Denver is good, but doesn't have enough assets to improve.
Houston is good, but doesn't have enough shooting to succeed post season. Giannis would definitely change that, but he and Amen on the court would require more shooters, which is why I think Reed doesn't go out in a trade here.
Minnesota is solid, but can't really improve with their cap situation and if they lose Naz or Randle they take a step back
GS- too old
LAL- they are what they are, but they aren't going to do anything until LeBron is gone and that money allocated to players that fit with Luka.
Clippers- another year older and deeper in debt..
So, I think we've got a real shot next year to be in that mix.
I will argue that Pop had no intention of coming down anytime soon. But his health was not letting him do it. He needed someone “temporary” at the helm, just taking orders and not making big changes. That’s why they didn’t bring in a “new” coach with his “new” ideas. Nah, it happened out of necessity. Pop still wants to be the big sheriff, “El Jefe.” The Holts are “paying gra ude.” They are not about to make changes. Besides this team is built on “continuity.” No need to reinvent something that’s already working. It would take a catastrophic failure to fire Mitch and overhaul the system.
Probably unrealistic worry: we get cute with #2 and don't pick Harper or Flagg (should the Mavs get cute) - either by picking someone else or trading the pick
Fairly realistic worry: we decide the Power of Friendship needs more time to show us what they have
Reasonable but maybe unrealistic wish: move off of one or two of the Power of Friendship (all three is too much to ask)
Reasonable wish: surround Mitch with a team of capable assistants
Realistic wish: take one of the many good looking prospects at #14, though I won't be too upset if they trade for future picks or good vet
Wish we should all have: Good health for all our dudes
Too much to hope for but, I'd like my roster to look something like:
Fox
Flagg/Harper (hoping Dallas gets cute)
Castle
Wemby
John Collins/Naz/Aldama
NAW
McNeely
Mamu
Barnes/ Sochan but not both
#38- Drake Powell
Middleton for Devin + future 1st
Fill in the other spots which cheap vets or projects, whichever route they prefer.
Wishes:
Trade Vassell & #38 to Brooklyn for #19 & #26
Draft Harper, Sorber, Fleming, & McNeeley
PG/SG: Fox / Castle / Harper / CP3 (coach on the court)
SF: Sochan / McNeeley / Johnson
PF: Barnes / Fleming / Mamu
C: Wemby / Sorber
Coaches: Keep CP3 to coach our guards (he'd make more money as a player than as a coach, but I'd rather him be a coach who's available as emergency backup). Add La Roche or Splitter to add "Read&React" offense to our repertoire.
Ensure all three guards are on board with the new offense and how it will work for them. Design it to use their strengths.
Solve the rebounding issue somehow. The two big guards are good rebounders, but will need more help.
Get a good, competent big. For God's sake keep Wemby healthy but will need someone regardless.
I think the bench pieces will work themselves out. Not in a rush to trade anybody until the right moves appear.
If Dallas actually wanted Harper, that could suck, as they could bluff the Spurs and try and fleece them to let the Spurs draft Flagg at number 1. There's no reason for Dallas to take Harper at number 1 without at least trying to fleece the Spurs first.
This is what I'm thinking about mostly, as I can't see us 'getting cute' and see Harper in a Spurs uniform. Whichever big we get is vital.
They would have to really want Harper and would indeed 'fleece' the Spurs in the process.
First priority should be getting a reliable backup rim protector.
We're just hopeless whenever Wemby sits. I actually felt like our bench was decent in a lot of games last season, but most of it was undone by zero rim protection.
I know Spurs still rate them, but I hope at least one of Devin/Keldon is gone. Keldon is obviously a better locker room presence and has better mentality, but if we're to play with three ball-dominant guards, he's redundant.
At some point Spurs will have to let go.
Jeremy can't get an extension this summer unless it's something dirt cheap.
Hopefully we hit with that #14 pick, either with a big forward or a backup big.
I wish we get Giannis and a new coaching staff
I only worry about Wemby's health.
I wish for us to get better and become a playoff team next season.
I think the minute they call and say that they’ll talk about swapping for Flagg, that’s a huge ‘tell’ that they want Harper. The Spurs saw Ainge fleece Philly, and would be aware of the scam. If they want Harper, they can draft him. If not, SA can draft him, with a small chance that Dallas really wants Harper and you might get the swap for Flagg free.
Would probably try, but I don't see how they fleece them. Pretty easy to read through: "oh, you're trying to get Harper instead of Flagg, just take Harper, go ahead."
They don’t dare trade back any further, or risk getting neither. You don’t have to openly call their bluff, and in fact playing along with trade scenarios for a while before bowing out might benefit us.
I’m open to just about anything but Giannis. Hard pass unless it’s some weird fleecing. I do not want to see all our assets depleted and us coming off Castle or Harper for a guy on the wrong side of 30.
The spurs need size and shooting. My worry is that they do nothing to address either of those glaring holes.
My other worry is the Spurs go too conservative and not understand the ramifications of the new CBA. The 10+ year dynasty days are over. San Antonio needs to prepare for several shorter runs at championships all centered around maximizing a once in a lifetime player like wemby
Spurs aren't good enough to worrying about other teams.
My main worry is that Fox, Castle and Harper don't fit together. They might work well but their fit isn't obvious. What make is more worrying is that it will be up to Mitch to deal with that complex issue. He is inexperienced and hasn't been great in his first year.
Aside of that, Spurs really start to be a talented team and Wright has made quite good moves lately, Spurs' future looks bright.
My wishlist is long:
-our players miraculously learn how to box out
-Mitch is actually a genius and the top 2 offense by the end of the season wasn't a fluke. Spurs become a top 10 offense
-Nailing the draft: Spurs draft Harper, one big man and one 3-and-D forward and sign all 3 to NBA contracts
-Somehow Brian Wright manages again to pick up a capable role player and a swap by helping teams to get under the 2nd apron
-We trade for a starting PF without giving up a first round pick. My favorite options: 1. PJ Washington 2. John Collins
-We sign a back up C in free agency (Kornet, Adams)
-Fox extends for less than the max. Maybe he takes 25% of the cap instead of 30%, giving us more wiggle room in the future.
-CP3, Bassey and Biyombo are gone
-Castle and Sochan become 3-point shooters
-Vassell learns how to play defense and looks like 2023/24 Vassell on offense
-Keldon, Branham and Wesley get traded
-Spurs add assistants to the coaching staff from outside of the organization
-OKC doesn't make any upgrades because that's what Presti does
-Houston makes a trade for a star player who's not good enough winning them a le and get rid of most of their assets and young core
-the Lakers trade another future pick for a mediocre center so Luka can throw lobs
Worries:
-Mitch is an even bigger idiot than over the hill Pop
-Spurs trade #14 for a pick in 2032
-Wemby keeps shooting 10 3s per game
-our players still don't box out and grab rebounds
-Sochan gets a 100 million dollar extension
-we run back the same roster + Harper
Worries:
Spurs do nothing to address the lack of defense and rebounding
The Power of Friendship endures
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