The Spurs have moved one step closer to setting their 15-man roster for the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived forward Luka Samanic.
San Antonio’s decision to part ways with Samanic is an acknowledgement that the team swung and missed on the 19th overall pick of the 2019 draft. While the No. 29 pick in that same draft – Keldon Johnson – is emerging as a cornerstone player for the Spurs, Samanic didn’t show in his two NBA seasons that he warranted a regular rotation spot.
The 21-year-old Croatian appeared in 36 total games as a Spur, averaging 3.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .430/.294/.576 shooting in 9.9 MPG.
Samanic had a $2.96MM guaranteed cap hit for 2021/22, which San Antonio will be responsible for unless another team claims him on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, his $4.57MM team option for the 2022/23 season will disappear and the Spurs won’t carry any dead money beyond this season.
Even after cutting Samanic, the Spurs will have to trade or release one more player on a guaranteed contract before the start of the regular season, since they still have 16 of those players. Al-Farouq Aminu and Keita Bates-Diop are among those considered to be most in danger.
WOW that was shocking! I tough he was pretty good when given the chance to play, somebody gonna pick him UP.
The only players being signed right now during the preseason are the ones who will be going to the G-League when they start up in November.
Yeah I bet he finds his way back to Europe here in the next couple months.
Those 16-20 picks are VERY missable. There is almost always 1-2 of them that get cut before 2 years. Arguably the worst pick of the first round is usually in that range.
2018 Zhaire Smith 16
2017 Justin Patton 16
2016 Wade Baldwin 17
2015 Rashad Vaughn 17
2014 James Young 17
2013 Sergey Karasev 19 (Bennett was worse at 1 but you get the point)
I guess Samanic will just be added to the list.
Royce White was also the #16 pick in 2012. He played in 3 NBA games.
But he didn’t lack for physical talent. He suffered from anxiety problems.
While I get the point of the post. White issue was a fear of flying not a lack of talent. The guys above lack talent
I don’t think they lacked talent. The were obviously talented enough to become first round picks. They lacked opportunity in most cases and lacked desire and heart in the case of Young. Or they were just injury prone like Patton. Lots of reasons, but lack of talent is not one of them.
Thunder should take a flier, maybe he will break out with more playing time and assuming he stays healthy
Nah, they got Poku
bates-diop will get the last spot.
I thought he was such a Spurs player when I saw him at the combine, and correctly picked him to get drafted 19th, after he was projected as a mid 2nd round pick. He fit 1 of their big needs the last couple of years, but they never gave him a legit shot to play. Now they filled that spot, and I wondered what that meant for his situation, and I guess they decided to let him go. I think he would be interesting in Minnesota, Atlanta, Dallas, Sacramento. Super skilled at the 4/5
This sucks. You draft someone at the 19 spot, never give him a chance to develop except in the go league, and then cut him because he doesn’t produce. I’ve always said the PATFO has the final say so and they run the club as they best see fit. But we have lost so many great guys over the years, Boban, Patty, Corey, Aaron, Kyle and Jonathan Simmons. Luka could have been great If given the play time. Instead he was past up and out in the last minutes of the game and for what, for giving new players more time to play. I pray we don’t trade for Ben Simmons and give up some of our other guys. If the Spurs were really looking at keeping the roster young they should have stuck with Luka and waived other guys that are hurt and have not really played. This is really sad! He defiantly got the Spurs mold. But it’s whatever PATFO says right? He will be a huge asset to another team.
He probably didn’t get minutes cuz he’s not good.
No matter how good you are if you don’t get a fair shot, you are gonna fail, that is all on SAS, nothing to do with Samanic himself!
Why fans always blame the players for the systematic failings of the teams?
I understand the emotion fans have when players they like move on, but no one you listed is near great and Simmons has done nothing since leaving the Spurs system.
LOL His shooting numbers were atrocious. 40% and 30%. That will get anyone waived
He played in garbage time once a week. Stats tell you nothing.