Shams: Spurs Trading Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, & a 2026 SRP to the Wizards for Kelly Olynyk

[Excessive Egotist]

It's a fine trade for Spurs. Olynyk should help more Spurs than Branham and Wesley. The pick traded is a really bad one: it would be a very late second round pick in a draft where Spurs already have 3 better second round picks.

Some random thoughts:

- Will Spurs play with two of Wembanyama/Kornet/Olynyk on the court at same time or is Olynyk a third string player?

- Spurs aren't cheap. This trade will cost them quite a lot of money. Olynyk salary is $3.8M higher than Branham+Wesley, they will need to sign one more player because it's a 2 for 1 trade ($2.3M) and the second round pick could have been sold for some cash (maybe $1M). At the end, it should cost Spurs around $7M. And Spurs went with a quite expensive backup center option with Kornet.

- With Barnes and Olynyk, Spurs have $32.4M in tradable expiring contracts for the 2025/2026 trade deadline.

- Spurs were really looking at adding a stretch big after trying to get Porzingis.

- Spurs have 12 players under contract. A profile that will complement well Spurs roster is a scoring guard who can shoot. Players like Bones Hyland or Alec Burks could work.

My spidey sense is that the Spurs would like Anfernee Simons to be that scoring guard. The Spurs could save the Celtics a lot of money, giving them a pathway to get below the first apron. We'd send Johnson, Barnes, and perhaps SRPs to a third team that receives a contract, and take back Simons along with other contracts. The Celtics would want the tax savings and enough time to reroute Barnes for additional savings. I'd assume they'd keep Keldon as a bench piece for their 2026-27 team. Wouldn't be bad for our roster if we swapped Johnson and Barnes for Simons, Hauser, and Niang.

[spurraider21]

Second apron creates parity. Notice the teams busting up are the likes of Boston and GS. No more talent hoarding.

There hasn’t been a repeat champion since 2018, so I’m not sure the 2nd apron has anything to do with that. Outside of KC, the NFL has thrived for decades on rotating champions. The NBA can,too.

NFL media space is also much better

yes, the media does focus in on the cowboys more than anybody else... but not to the degree the NBA will ignore teams in the ongoing playoff run to take a 15 minute segment about lebron and the lakers. they dont ignore teams from buffalo, kansas city, green bay, etc, just because they're in "small markets." they treat them and cover them like any other team as long as they are good and relevant.

so the NFL is better equipped to deal with smaller market teams that are thriving, whether its Indianapolis, Buffalo, Carolina, or Cincinnati depending on who happens to be good or not

i enjoy parity, but the NBA handles it very poorly.

[Excessive Egotist]

Anfernee Simons is maybe interesting in that mold…wonder how a deal could look if BOS is good with getting off of him. Keldon + Barnes + 2 2nds for Simons + Hauser?

It’s an equal money trade this year, and both Barnes and Simons are expiring. So what Spurs take on is more years with Hauser, but 7M less than Keldon next year.

Maybe BOS feels they can move HB easier and save some money while getting a couple 2nds from SA then another 2nd(s) for moving Barnes?

Just posted another reply to Bruno...didn't see this. I think the Spurs would compensate a third team with SRPs to help Boston shed as much unwanted salary as possible. But I agree that Simons makes some sense.

[exstatic]

i agree with vecenie as well. its really awkward that teams benefit from their players missing out on awards. the extra 5% players are en led to should not count for cap purposes

i dont mind the 2nd apron at all otherwise tbh. parity is good. being shrewd with contracts/picks and not just blindly overpaying/extending every decent player makes for a better league.

but the extra money from all-nba or DPOY stuff should absolutely be exempt

So one team can continue to stack up these players like GS did? tired of that , one team in the Finals for half a decade.

The awards that trigger the Supermax , either 30 or 35% depending on longevity, are All NBA, MVP, & DPOY. Assuming that an MVP would never be left off of the 3 All NBA teams, we’re talking about 16 players out of ~450 in the league. Hardly something I would view as widespread, coming in around 3%.

The reality is if the NBA media are crying about this, that’s good. It means the large market teams aren’t happy, and I am happy they’re not happy. Tired of their decades of being able to overstock top talent, and steal and stack midrange talent because they had more money. This is a level playing field for small and middle market teams.

[Mr. Body]

Booting Dillingham (or not showing any interest) suggests this isn't the type of player the Spurs are interested in. Very similar players.

[spurraider21]

So one team can continue to stack up these players like GS did? tired of that , one team in the Finals for half a decade.

The awards that trigger the Supermax , either 30 or 35% depending on longevity, are All NBA, MVP, & DPOY. Assuming that an MVP would never be left off of the 3 All NBA teams, we’re talking about 16 players out of ~450 in the league. Hardly something I would view as widespread, coming in around 3%.

The reality is if the NBA media are crying about this, that’s good. It means the large market teams aren’t happy, and I am happy they’re not happy. Tired of their decades of being able to overstock top talent, and steal and stack midrange talent because they had more money. This is a level playing field for small and middle market teams.

nope. this is why i like the second apron

whether somebody cracks the last spot on the all-nba third team or not, the player is the player and his contractual value should be based no how good a player he is. i dont like the team being penalized because their player was recognized by the media

[scott]

sacto is poorly run, but Ellis seems to be one of the guys they have absolutely no interest in moving

That was my initial thought... and then I remember we are talking about Sacramento here... so anything is possible.

[scott]

I hate the second apron. Teams are constantly busting up their cores because of it. Sustained greatness is what makes sports great and the NBA is bent on destroying that within their own league. I get the super team problem but they need to relax the second apron to some extent.

One thing I saw this morning is that while teams are grappling with second apron, the CBA has an opt-out clause before any of the apron penalties go into effect. We may find that both the union and teams don't like this structure, and perhaps they opt out. A team might be willing to gamble and accept 2nd apron penalties in the hopes that there is an opt-out and renegotiation and they escape those 2nd apron penalties altogether. I believe the Opt-out is in 2029.

[exstatic]

Booting Dillingham (or not showing any interest) suggests this isn't the type of player the Spurs are interested in. Very similar players.

Simons is more of a physical specimen,but being in the clueless category with Lonnie and Jalen Green, we agree that the Spurs wouldn’t be interested, even if we don’t necessarily agree on the reasons.

[rjv]

NFL media space is also much better

yes, the media does focus in on the cowboys more than anybody else... but not to the degree the NBA will ignore teams in the ongoing playoff run to take a 15 minute segment about lebron and the lakers. they dont ignore teams from buffalo, kansas city, green bay, etc, just because they're in "small markets." they treat them and cover them like any other team as long as they are good and relevant.

so the NFL is better equipped to deal with smaller market teams that are thriving, whether its Indianapolis, Buffalo, Carolina, or Cincinnati depending on who happens to be good or not

i enjoy parity, but the NBA handles it very poorly.

i would add that green bay, the chiefs and buffalo all have very large fan bases that stretch well outside their TV markets. the same can't be said of most NBA small market teams.

[scott]

Second apron creates parity. Notice the teams busting up are the likes of Boston and GS. No more talent hoarding.

There hasn’t been a repeat champion since 2018, so I’m not sure the 2nd apron has anything to do with that. Outside of KC, the NFL has thrived for decades on rotating champions. The NBA can,too.

Before KC, all the championships in the NFL just rotated through New England and Tom Brady tho...

[exstatic]

One thing I saw this morning is that while teams are grappling with second apron, the CBA has an opt-out clause before any of the apron penalties go into effect. We may find that both the union and teams don't like this structure, and perhaps they opt out. A team might be willing to gamble and accept 2nd apron penalties in the hopes that there is an opt-out and renegotiation and they escape those 2nd apron penalties altogether. I believe the Opt-out is in 2029.

By taking a machete to their roster, it looks like Boston doesn’t see that happening. I don’t see the owners having enough small/medium market votes to overturn, and the players will still get their money, even if it’s on a different team. If you have the talent, you will get paid, somewhere.

[scott]

So one team can continue to stack up these players like GS did? tired of that , one team in the Finals for half a decade.

The awards that trigger the Supermax , either 30 or 35% depending on longevity, are All NBA, MVP, & DPOY. Assuming that an MVP would never be left off of the 3 All NBA teams, we’re talking about 16 players out of ~450 in the league. Hardly something I would view as widespread, coming in around 3%.

The reality is if the NBA media are crying about this, that’s good. It means the large market teams aren’t happy, and I am happy they’re not happy. Tired of their decades of being able to overstock top talent, and steal and stack midrange talent because they had more money. This is a level playing field for small and middle market teams.

If we really think the CBA and the aprons make keeping talent so difficult, then you have to question the Spurs strategy of supposedly working on "building a dynasty"

The better strategy, in that case, would be to build a team around Wemby to go on a short 1-2 year "burst", then break it apart right when it gets expensive, and then build it up again for another "burst"

If we truly believe the aprons are that restrictive, then it is counter-intuitive to try to build this long-term monster with 3-5 guys on the same timeline, since we won't be able to maintain them. With Castle and Harper on board, we should be looking to avoid extending Sochan for anything more than a sub-MLE level deal, we should be looking to move off Devin, only be willing to extend Fox to a 2+1, etc.

[spurraider21]

Before KC, all the championships in the NFL just rotated through New England and Tom Brady tho...

yeah brady was the goat, but you also had a revolving door of competing teams like denver, carolina, atlanta, philly, seattle, baltimore, san francisco. it wasnt an "oh look its warriors cavs again" situation

[scott]

By taking a machete to their roster, it looks like Boston doesn’t see that happening. I don’t see the owners having enough small/medium market votes to overturn, and the players will still get their money, even if it’s on a different team. If you have the talent, you will get paid, somewhere.

BOS is the first team to suffer the consequences of the CBA, a sacrificial lamb. And this summer is the first summer that players are feeling the unintended consequences of the CBA their union agreed to. These things might be the drivers that causes each side to rethink the monster they've created.

[scott]

yeah brady was the goat, but you also had a revolving door of competing teams like denver, carolina, atlanta, philly, seattle, baltimore, san francisco. it wasnt an "oh look its warriors cavs again" situation

But it's still a "Oh look its Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes again". Between the two of them, I think they've played in over half of the Superbowls this century? Kind of wild. I guess it is nice that some other teams make it opposing them from time to time.

[spurraider21]

But it's still a "Oh look its Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes again". Between the two of them, I think they've played in over half of the Superbowls this century? Kind of wild. I guess it is nice that some other teams make it opposing them from time to time.

thats also just the SB

i mean there are some perennially well run teams like the Eagles, Ravens, Steelers, Packeres who seem to find ways to be relevant, and some perenially awfully run teams like the Raiders, Bears, Browns who find their ways to stay out of the picture. but by and large NFL has very strong parity

[exstatic]

If we really think the CBA and the aprons make keeping talent so difficult, then you have to question the Spurs strategy of supposedly working on "building a dynasty"

The better strategy, in that case, would be to build a team around Wemby to go on a short 1-2 year "burst", then break it apart right when it gets expensive, and then build it up again for another "burst"

If we truly believe the aprons are that restrictive, then it is counter-intuitive to try to build this long-term monster with 3-5 guys on the same timeline, since we won't be able to maintain them. With Castle and Harper on board, we should be looking to avoid extending Sochan for anything more than a sub-MLE level deal, we should be looking to move off Devin, only be willing to extend Fox to a 2+1, etc.

I think 3-4 years, but yeah, no continuous dynasty, just mini dynastettes. Fox gone in four years, and ne of the young guards 4-5 after that. You might have one player go all the way along with Wemby, Castle or Harper.

[Seventyniner]

thats also just the SB

i mean there are some perennially well run teams like the Eagles, Ravens, Steelers, Packeres who seem to find ways to be relevant, and some perenially awfully run teams like the Raiders, Bears, Browns who find their ways to stay out of the picture. but by and large NFL has very strong parity

Two other big differences between NFL and NBA are that NFL playoffs are one-and-done leading to more variance of outcomes, and other than QB no single NFL player has as much impact on winning as an MVP level NBA player.

[Trueblood]

If we really think the CBA and the aprons make keeping talent so difficult, then you have to question the Spurs strategy of supposedly working on "building a dynasty"

The better strategy, in that case, would be to build a team around Wemby to go on a short 1-2 year "burst", then break it apart right when it gets expensive, and then build it up again for another "burst"

If we truly believe the aprons are that restrictive, then it is counter-intuitive to try to build this long-term monster with 3-5 guys on the same timeline, since we won't be able to maintain them. With Castle and Harper on board, we should be looking to avoid extending Sochan for anything more than a sub-MLE level deal, we should be looking to move off Devin, only be willing to extend Fox to a 2+1, etc.

This seems to be the strategy that OKC is following. They’re using trades and the draft very shrewdly to retool. It seems like most players on their roster (save three) could be replaced fairly easily by ones they have on the bench or minor trades. Of all the teams it seems they have the best handle on this new CBA and they are developing that monster squad by using 1-2 or 2-3 year contracts that they can flip as expiring for more assets to retool again and again. We should be taking notes.

[Limguogolo]

The league has moved away from developing players overseas. It turns out, those teams have their own priorities, and developing a player just so he can leave as soon as he's good isn't one of them. He's more likely to get to a point where the Spurs can determine his worth if he plays in Austin where the Spurs can direct his development and give him whatever role and minutes they want. Most NBA teams and overseas prospects seem to align with that thinking.

2025, and there are still NBA fans who think that European players have more to learn in the D-League than in a European professional league, even with low playing time...

Young players in Europe learn with short playing time in big teams or by gaining responsibilities in less prestigious clubs. Why? Because no one learns in an environment in which no one defends and where there is no game system but players who "develop".

Basketball is a team sport. Núñez is a collective player, like most Spanish players. His market value is linked to his game intelligence, his game vision. What would he “develop” in the D-League? And what for? His 3 points? Defenseless? He will learn much better in match conditions, with the intensity of ACB and Euroleague matches at a level a thousand times higher than the d-league. For a two-way? A two-way for a professionnal European player, seriously? How many drafted European players end up in the D-League? Very little. Because they develop much better, in compe ive leagues and earning money. That’s what second-round drafts are for. When a good surprise arrives and a player is considered useful and efficient, he is offered to come to the NBA before he signs big contracts in Europe. No European player agrees to get lost in the d-league. We must put an end to this idea that the d-league is an incubator, it is above all a purgatory.

It is even likely that Núñez will not progress that much and that we will have to take him as he is. He is a precocious player, he played very early in the national team. If he is good, he will gain minutes. Sometimes it's just a matter of trust. Nadir Hifi also had the confidence of a coach who today is the head coach of an NBA team. He would have been drafted and his team would have sought to move him to the D-League.

Other drafted players were left in Europe to "develop" and that was the right option. As it always has been since... Manu Ginobili. "D-League" is not for "development", it's for "dead-end". And all European players know that.

[DPG21920]

I have the feeling that this trade is more about dumping Keldon than getting Simons...

Spurs have quite a lot of options if they want to add a scoring/shooting combo guard. This kind of players just aren't valued in today's NBA and there are even some good ones playing overseas (remember Gary Neal..).

It’s not really about that per se; more about adding shooting (both Simons + Hauser do this) and getting the depth right (Barnes replaced by Hauser is net equal but Keldon with the shooting guard helps balance things out some while addressing shooting in a meaningful way).

I was more looking at low cost trades that can be done without giving up firsts or true core (Keldon is more of that than Barnes, but both are on the fringe of future core than most others IMO)

[mystargtr34]

From the athletic

David Aldridge
9 July 2025 at 8:28 am GMT+8
David Aldridge
Senior Columnist, NBA


Why Wizards immediately traded Kelly Olynyk

Washington moving Kelly Olynyk to San Antonio for Blake Wesley and Malakai Branham and a 2026 second-round pick, just a couple of weeks after getting Olynyk and C.J. McCollum from New Orleans. doesn’t make sense at first blush. One, Olynyk was going to be Alex Sarr’s backup at center next season. Two, Wesley and Branham are two guards, and the Wizards just drafted their two-guard of the future in Tre Johnson two weeks ago with the sixth pick.

But the Wizards also will get a $13 million traded player exception out of the deal, as well as additional player contracts they can cobble together later this offseason if a deal manifests itself.

For now, though, this is good news for restricted free agent Tristan Vukčević, the Wizards’ second-round pick in 2023, who figures to get more minutes behind Sarr in small-ball lineups. Washington will continue to comb what little is left in the big man market in free agency, too.

And, just as Houston worked with Cam Whitmore to get him to a better situation for him in last weekend’s trade to Washington, the Wizards worked with Olynyk to get him to a more favorable and compe ive spot in San Antonio.


John Hollinger
9 July 2025 at 8:23 am GMT+8
John Hollinger
Senior Writer, NBA


What's next after Kelly Olynyk trade?

Quite a numbers game developing in Washington, where the Wizards have 16 guaranteed contracts but only one of them belongs to a player who is actually tall (Alex Sarr).

The recently acquired Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley were developmental guards who hadn't developed and had no chance of playing in San Antonio once the Spurs landed Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper in consecutive drafts. However, they face a similar logjam in the backcourt in Washington unless C.J. McCollum and Marcus Smart are bought out before the season starts. As a result, they may end up landing someplace else before opening day. Either way, the Wizards need to figure out how to convert at least one or two of their guards into bigs.

San Antonio took on $4 million in salary and sent out what might be the final pick of the 2026 draft to clean up its roster and get a third big in the mix behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet. I'm guessing the "Jeremy Sochan at backup 5" experiment is officially toast. Washington can generate a $13.4 million trade exception for Kelly Olynyk by taking Branham's $4.96 million salary into its Johnny Davis trade exception and Wesley's $4.73 million into its biannual exception or its nontaxapyer midlevel exception. Both players have expiring contracts.

The Spurs are $12.5 million from the tax line with at least two open roster spots to fill. They also still have their $5.1 million biannual exception available.


Kelly Iko
9 July 2025 at 8:10 am GMT+8
Kelly Iko
Staff Writer


Kelly Olynyk traded to Spurs

Kelly Olynyk traded to Spurs
Imagn Images
The San Antonio Spurs are acquiring Kelly Olynyk from the Washington Wizards for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and a 2026 second-round pick, a team source confirmed to The Athletic.

The Spurs have quietly upgraded their center depth after shuffling last season between the likes of Charles Bassey, Bismack Biyombo and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Olynyk, 34, remains a quality stretch big who shot 41.8 percent from 3 last season, even if his game has slowed. Olynyk remains a solid playmaker at his position, finishing in the 90th percentile among centers in assist percentage (19.8), and historically, his teams perform better offensively with him on the floor. Olynyk was also a sneaky-good defender for a porous Pelicans team last season, with New Orleans performing nearly 11 points better per 100 possessions while he was on the floor.

With Olynyk and Luke Kornet under center (no pun intended), San Antonio continues to fortify its roster. The Spurs can trot out different frontcourt combinations alongside Victor Wembanyama depending on the opponent, an underrated flexibility tool for head coach Mitch Johnson.

[Seventyniner]

Looks like the Wizards absorbed Wesley and Branham into their MLE, or maybe one into the MLE and the other into the BAE, and created a $13M trade exception. That's another reason for them to make the deal for two players they likely won't use and a late 50s second.

[Ice009]

I hate the second apron. Teams are constantly busting up their cores because of it. Sustained greatness is what makes sports great and the NBA is bent on destroying that within their own league. I get the super team problem but they need to relax the second apron to some extent.

Yes, I agree. We need a change. I don't want to see the Spurs lose Caste or Harper, or even De'Aaron really.

So are the Spurs going to be able to keep Victor, Steph and Dylan if both Steph and Dylan become max players? If not, this is going to suck not being able to have a big three again after building the right way instead of trading/buying players like teams like the Lakers do.

Looks like the Wizards absorbed Wesley and Branham into their MLE, or maybe one into the MLE and the other into the BAE, and created a $13M trade exception. That's another reason for them to make the deal for two players they likely won't use and a late 50s second.

I asked this question the other day, so you can take a traded player into the BAE. Interesting. I didn't know you could combine the BAE and MLE to create a trade exception, though. Did Washington still have their full MLE? Can you do the same if you have partial money left on the MLE to absorb a player into that?