Reassessing the Roster After the Spurs Win the Victor Wembanyama Lottery

[JR3]

I’m okay with blowing up the team to get a mix of higher potential guys and solid vets that know their role around Wemby. Everyone but Sochan should be on the trading block.

[Chinook]

Those people don’t have the locker room experience the way Klay does. We need to surround Wemby with a winner and a pro. Heck all of our young talent need that. We don’t have one on our roster. Can Branham bring the same production as Klay? I doubt it but let’s say that he does, Branham doesn’t bring nearly the same value as Klay. You can’t fake championship pedigree. For the older posters, it’s like the value Mario Ellie brought to the team. I think Klay brings that same toughness, same professionalism, and same moment is never too big at ude.

Also who give a flip if we overpay for a vet when we have money to spare for the foreseeable future.

I don't like Klay that much because he would just add another player to the middle positions, but it's annoying that so many people don't see the value in having (good) players at all stages of their careers. Do you know when Tim became the oldest player on the Spurs? When Tim was a 14-year vet in the 2011-2012 season. Until 2007-2008, Duncan wasn't even in the top half of players by age. Dude wasn't within 10 years of the oldest player on the team until 2004-2005. That was his eighth season in the league. This belief that the Spurs should avoid guys who "can't grow with" Wemby is so off base that it's ahistoric to basically any GOAT candidate's rise. Actual Klay because of his injury history and massive contract wouldn't be a good choice. But someone with that kind of experience but more gravitas would do really well on a team full of guys who've never won anything (Keldon's gold doesn't count in this context). I wonder if there are any vets overseas who could help.

[Chinook]

I wonder if the Spurs could make a run at Micic. OKC should still have his rights, and the Spurs are one of the few teams that could both spend whatever Micic needs on a buyout while also being in a position that might be interesting to him. They don't have a clear starting PG but do have intriguing teammates. Spurs have a number of tradeable picks as well. Dude's the best player in Europe and is in his prime. Would be a nice "zag" move.

[Chinook]

Not to spam, but they should be able to sign Micic, sign Lopez and still re-sign Jones.

Micic, Jones, Wesley
Vassell, Branham, Graham
Johnson, McDermott, Champangie
Wembanyama, Sochan, Mamukelashvili
Lopez, Collins, Bassey

TW: Barlow, 45, 50

This is assuming they trade 33 and other non-firsts to the Thunder for Micic's rights and 50.

If Jones walks, move Graham to backup PG, slide Champ to SG and re-up Keita. I actually really like the balance of that roster, assuming Sochan is okay being a sixth man. I don't know that it's a contender, even with a couple of years of development. But it's a real team that Wemby can develop on but that also has a fair bit of flexibility going forward.

[jesterbobman]

That's a fun Zag on Micic. I've been thinking Jevon Carter / Brook would be a great two man free agency class, though Micic works as the PG there as well.

If we can't get Lopez and one of those guys, I'd also be open to some kind of overpaid Vet leader deal to help another team save a ton of tax money.
E.g.,
Would the Heat move on from Kyle Lowry (as they'll be paying Vincent and Strus more after this season, and probably Caleb Martin in 2024) if they decide the $$ is too much, and send us #18 (post draft, so whoever they pick) as payment for absorbing his $30m. Could adjust that to a future asset (though Miami is a bit barren so that's hard) if they love whoever they took and we're not fans.
Could we take on Batum or Covington from the Clippers for #30 (maybe trading 44 if #30 is too much)?

[RC_Drunkford]

I wonder if the Spurs could make a run at Micic. OKC should still have his rights, and the Spurs are one of the few teams that could both spend whatever Micic needs on a buyout while also being in a position that might be interesting to him. They don't have a clear starting PG but do have intriguing teammates. Spurs have a number of tradeable picks as well. Dude's the best player in Europe and is in his prime. Would be a nice "zag" move.

I said that a couple of weeks ago cause I remembered the rumors about the Spurs being interested back in the day. But depends on if OKC gives up his rights

[DAF86]

I wonder if the Spurs could make a run at Micic. OKC should still have his rights, and the Spurs are one of the few teams that could both spend whatever Micic needs on a buyout while also being in a position that might be interesting to him. They don't have a clear starting PG but do have intriguing teammates. Spurs have a number of tradeable picks as well. Dude's the best player in Europe and is in his prime. Would be a nice "zag" move.

I like the Micic idea, but I fail to see why OKC would just give his rights away to the Spurs.

Edit: just checked, 29 years old. I thought he was younger. Still interested, but wouldn't give too much to get him.

[Chinook]

I like the Micic idea, but I fail to see why OKC would just give his rights away to the Spurs.

Edit: just checked, 29 years old. I thought he was younger. Still interested, but wouldn't give too much to get him.

If OKC is going to use his rights, it's horrible form to keep him from signing elsewhere. That he's 29 is part of the reason why he'd be available. The Spurs can use a vet hand, especially one with playoff experience who's still in his prime. He's not an ancient player who'd only be around for a couple of years, either. He should be good for another contract after this one. I worry about if he can translate to the NBA, but he's worth a decent pick trade and a big deal to bring him over as opposed to spending a bunch more on an older player or hoping that a journeyman becomes a strong starter just because he's 23 or whatever.

[MultiTroll]

annoying that so many people don't see the value in having (good) players at all stages of their careers. Do you know when Tim became the oldest player on the Spurs? When Tim was a 14-year vet in the 2011-2012 season. Until 2007-2008, Duncan wasn't even in the top half of players by age. Dude wasn't within 10 years of the oldest player on the team until 2004-2005. That was his eighth season in the league. This belief that the Spurs should avoid guys who "can't grow with" Wemby is so off base that it's ahistoric to basically any GOAT candidate's rise.

Agree 100.
Too bad Lebrons contract with the Flamers is thru next season with player option not til 24-25.
If, repeat if his son is showing signs of being anywhere near Lebron Jr potential, i would welcome vet minimum Lebron with his son open heartedly.
We'll see what summer of 24 brings.

Concur on Klanus. Also don't want his at ude coming anywhere near my team. Insufferable got along with that entire core. And now being passed on to Poole, altho i believe their run is over.

[JPB]

If OKC is going to use his rights, it's horrible form to keep him from signing elsewhere. That he's 29 is part of the reason why he'd be available. The Spurs can use a vet hand, especially one with playoff experience who's still in his prime. He's not an ancient player who'd only be around for a couple of years, either. He should be good for another contract after this one. I worry about if he can translate to the NBA, but he's worth a decent pick trade and a big deal to bring him over as opposed to spending a bunch more on an older player or hoping that a journeyman becomes a strong starter just because he's 23 or whatever.

He wanted to join the NBA last summer and some teams were interested (Bulls, Nuggets, bucks, spurs) but OKC wants a pick and he's asking 6-7M in a team with guaranteed playing time. Many teams are in the luxury tax and using the MLE for an unproveneuro player with risks (Teodosic fiasco with the Clippers didn't help) has so far kept anyone to pull the trigger.

Risks would be limited in SA, he could get his money and possibly playing time (but we know Pop, ask Nando). Having a fellow euro player could also help, but is he worth losing a pick? I don't know.

[Obstructed_View]

I don't like Klay that much because he would just add another player to the middle positions, but it's annoying that so many people don't see the value in having (good) players at all stages of their careers. Do you know when Tim became the oldest player on the Spurs? When Tim was a 14-year vet in the 2011-2012 season. Until 2007-2008, Duncan wasn't even in the top half of players by age. Dude wasn't within 10 years of the oldest player on the team until 2004-2005. That was his eighth season in the league. This belief that the Spurs should avoid guys who "can't grow with" Wemby is so off base that it's ahistoric to basically any GOAT candidate's rise. Actual Klay because of his injury history and massive contract wouldn't be a good choice. But someone with that kind of experience but more gravitas would do really well on a team full of guys who've never won anything (Keldon's gold doesn't count in this context). I wonder if there are any vets overseas who could help.

I agree. The Spurs didn't begin to ac ulate the corporate knowledge until they began acquiring veterans with deep playoff experience. Moses and Rodman were the first, but Moses was only here for a cup of coffee and Rodman was less than useless. Chuck Person was the first I remember to really move the needle. He turned around the confidence of the Spurs. Then guys like Kerr and Kersey and Perdue helped the young guys learn how to win. Then later, when Willis and Smitty and Danny Ferry joined up, David was a seasoned vet with experience to pass on.

I think this team is poised to turn it around sooner than later. They need some veteran leadership. And they have some money to throw at guys with rings who many might not think of as marquee free agents.

[Obstructed_View]

Agree 100.
Too bad Lebrons contract with the Flamers is thru next season with player option not til 24-25.
If, repeat if his son is showing signs of being anywhere near Lebron Jr potential, i would welcome vet minimum Lebron with his son open heartedly.
We'll see what summer of 24 brings.

Concur on Klanus. Also don't want his at ude coming anywhere near my team. Insufferable got along with that entire core. And now being passed on to Poole, altho i believe their run is over.

Don't know about anyone else, but I don't want Lebron anywhere near my team. He and his ing kid can go start a circus in someone else's town.

[Chinook]

He wanted to join the NBA last summer and some teams were interested (Bulls, Nuggets, bucks, spurs) but OKC wants a pick and he's asking 6-7M in a team with guaranteed playing time. Many teams are in the luxury tax and using the MLE for an unproveneuro player with risks (Teodosic fiasco with the Clippers didn't help) has so far kept anyone to pull the trigger.

Risks would be limited in SA, he could get his money and possibly playing time (but we know Pop, ask Nando). Having a fellow euro player could also help, but is he worth losing a pick? I don't know.

de Colo came into a completely different situation. He was a good prospect who became a solid player but the Spurs didn't have room for him. Nando also had personal issues going on that made his opinion of the NBA much lower. I don't worry too much about that precedent. Teodosic is a concern as well. The Spurs are in a position to offer whatever they need to to cover the buyout and make a compe ive offer, and I don't think there are many teams who could both do that and who have a roster that is such a good fit. As far as compensation, I think 33 and maybe additional seconds would be something I would do easily. It's not clear the Spurs even want to use that pick. Trading it for an established player at a position of need is a solid use for it, though there are other things they could do with it as well. If we're talking like a first, even the Charlotte pick, I would be more wary. I'd probably want the Spurs to get something else in return. But I am adamant that I don't want SA to have six firsts in 2024 and 2025, so using one to secure a guy they really like wouldn't hurt my feelings too much.

[objective]

I wonder if the Spurs could make a run at Micic. OKC should still have his rights, and the Spurs are one of the few teams that could both spend whatever Micic needs on a buyout while also being in a position that might be interesting to him. They don't have a clear starting PG but do have intriguing teammates. Spurs have a number of tradeable picks as well. Dude's the best player in Europe and is in his prime. Would be a nice "zag" move.

It's a pretty brilliant idea, good stuff

Because point guard or lead creator options in free agency are so slim, thinking out of the box to go get Micic would be a smart gamble. He would be without a doubt the best pick and roll operator on the team. Even with his age, having that kind of presence couldn't hurt Wemby in his early years. It's always a fear of mine with young bigs who have run into trouble developing when they don't have any competent guards who can get them the ball either in the roll or pop or post entry. Though Wemby isn't raw like that at all.

Sure there's the risk of him being nothing more than a fun passing bench guy like Teodosic, but give him a 2+1 and he'll be gone before Wemby's cost skyrockets anyway. I don't even think he needs to start, he'll be fun off the bench and the crowds love their sixth men. And if he cries like Spannoulis just cut him and move on. Spurs are paying what, $22-25 million next year on Birch, Primo and Graham? Biting the bullet on bad money is no big deal in the current situation

Throw OKC some seconds and get him.

[spurraider21]

At this point any time we can get something resembling halfway decent for a bundle of seconds is good with me

[bluebellmaniac]

If it's a couple seconds, I think OKC would have done a deal with someone already. They probably want a first.

[Philthemage]

If Sixers are looking to rebuild or even reload, could we take Tobias Harris off their hands maybe? Not sure if the have any more assets they could give to us for doing them this favour.

By all accounts Tobias is a great teammate and perhaps he can be like a Diaw 2.0 where spurs kick-start the second half of his career?

[mo7888]

I like the idea of adding Micic. I'm not as high on moving 33 because I think there are going to be a couple real good players drop. I'd probably still do it but, not until we see who's likely to be there at 33 on draft night. I'd be more inclined to aggregate a few of those future 2nd's along with or second 2nd this year.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I like the idea of adding Micic. I'm not as high on moving 33 because I think there are going to be a couple real good players drop. I'd probably still do it but, not until we see who's likely to be there at 33 on draft night. I'd be more inclined to aggregate a few of those future 2nd's along with or second 2nd this year.

Yeah, it feels like we can leverage those future assets if we see something we want in this year's draft late first round or second.

[Chinook]

I like the idea of adding Micic. I'm not as high on moving 33 because I think there are going to be a couple real good players drop. I'd probably still do it but, not until we see who's likely to be there at 33 on draft night. I'd be more inclined to aggregate a few of those future 2nd's along with or second 2nd this year.

My concern is that if the Spurs pick at 33, that player would probably be on the 15-man roster. As you mentioned there are intriguing players there, but the roster is a bit tight as is if you add in Micic. OKC still has a lot of firsts, but they apparently want to move around this draft and don't have a ton of ammo to do it without tossing in some of their better picks. If they use 33, 37 and 12, that might give them some decent fire power. For the Spurs, if they get 50, they still fill in that last two-way spot while saving the main roster spot for a vet. It's not the only way this can get done, of course. Like they could just let Tre walk, not re-sign KBD and use 33 on depth at the wing. Or they can take the risk Champ is forced to take a two-way and give that spot to 33. Or they could make other trades that clear up roster spots. I just hope the Spurs are looking at all avenues to improve their roster and not just the immediate ones.

[mo7888]

My concern is that if the Spurs pick at 33, that player would probably be on the 15-man roster. As you mentioned there are intriguing players there, but the roster is a bit tight as is if you add in Micic. OKC still has a lot of firsts, but they apparently want to move around this draft and don't have a ton of ammo to do it without tossing in some of their better picks. If they use 33, 37 and 12, that might give them some decent fire power. For the Spurs, if they get 50, they still fill in that last two-way spot while saving the main roster spot for a vet. It's not the only way this can get done, of course. Like they could just let Tre walk, not re-sign KBD and use 33 on depth at the wing. Or they can take the risk Champ is forced to take a two-way and give that spot to 33. Or they could make other trades that clear up roster spots. I just hope the Spurs are looking at all avenues to improve their roster and not just the immediate ones.

Like you said, there are many ways to get there. In fact, I don't remember a Spurs team going into a draft/summer with as many options as this team currently has, so I'm not getting to tied up mentally on a particular path. It's just in general that I've seen some mocks with players I'd personally value much higher than 33 dropping into that range and I wouldn't want to miss that opportunity if one of them fell, especially knowing there are other avenues we could take to still get Micic.

[TD 21]

I wonder if the Spurs could make a run at Micic. OKC should still have his rights, and the Spurs are one of the few teams that could both spend whatever Micic needs on a buyout while also being in a position that might be interesting to him. They don't have a clear starting PG but do have intriguing teammates. Spurs have a number of tradeable picks as well. Dude's the best player in Europe and is in his prime. Would be a nice "zag" move.

It's difficult to pinpoint his value. My sense is what you're proposing wouldn't get it done, but I don't have a sense for what would either and I wouldn't offer much more.

For 2-3 seasons, he'd potentially be a solid fit, buying them time and if he translates well, ultimately becoming a trade chip.

[Chinook]

If it's a couple seconds, I think OKC would have done a deal with someone already. They probably want a first.

I'm not sure a lot of teams will be interested, actually. The Spurs can uniquely offer a (now) not-tanking roster with good pieces but also not true compe ion at guard while being able to open up the pocketbook. Most teams can't afford to offer something like $56M/4 to a guy who might not be a top-level player in the NBA. The Spurs can.

Don't get me wrong, I would assume OKC wants a first, but I don't actually think compensation is the issue here. Sure, they wouldn't trade him for absolutely nothing, but people underestimate how hard it is to get "a couple of seconds" for a lot of teams.

[Chinook]

It's difficult to pinpoint his value. My sense is what you're proposing wouldn't get it done, but I don't have a sense for what would either and I wouldn't offer much more.

For 2-3 seasons, he'd potentially be a solid fit, buying them time and if he translates well, ultimately becoming a trade chip.

I don't know how good Micic would be in the NBA, but there's no reason why the Spurs should look to move him because of his age. In five years, he should still be in his late-prime. It would be a fascinating question as to which le team had the youngest "oldest" player. I wouldn't be surprised if no team has won a le without a player in his 30s. For the Spurs, the youngest was 36-year-old Jerome Kersey in 99. I don't see any reason to look to move on from a guy who's 35 -- let alone 31 or 32. If he's not getting it done anymore, sure. But I'd want more guys in their 30s the closer the Spurs get toward making noise.

[JPB]

If it's a couple seconds, I think OKC would have done a deal with someone already. They probably want a first.

They did last summer, probably reason why nothing materialized while Micic wanted to come.