Southwest Notes: Mamukelashvili, Spurs, Washington, Edey

After initially tendering Sandro Mamukelashvili a qualifying offer in June to make him a restricted free agent, the Spurs renounced the big man’s rights in July in order to maximize their cap room. While Mamukelashvili wasn’t sure at that point what his future held, he tells Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) that his “heart loves San Antonio” and that he was glad to end up re-signing with the Spurs on a one-year, minimum-salary contract.

“You always want to be bought into something special and be a part of something special,” Mamukelashvili said. “With Victor (Wembanyama) being here and adding a couple veterans and some great young guys, it’s something you want to be a part of. It’s constant growth. Nobody’s just sitting laid back. Everybody comes to the gym and works hard. You want to be part of that.”

It’s the second straight summer that Mamukelashvili has re-signed with the Spurs on a one-year deal. He admitted to McDonald that he wasn’t quite as stressed out during his most recent foray into free agency, in part because teams besides the Spurs expressed interest in him.

“My first free agency, if you saw me you would have thought I was a dead man walking,” Mamukelashvili said. “I was not sleeping. I’m on Twitter like, ‘What’s going on? Just give me a minimum deal, you know?'”

Mamukelashvili didn’t play a ton in his first full season in San Antonio in 2023/24, averaging 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game across 46 appearances (five starts). The 25-year-old’s playing time is unlikely to increase substantially in his fourth season, but he’s OK with the idea of accepting a modest role.

“A guy in my situation, just one more year in the league is already a celebration,” he said.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

• The Spurs announced on Tuesday in a press release that they’ve hired Mike Noyes as an assistant coach and director of player development while also promoting Josh Larson to general manager of the Austin Spurs and former NBA big man Gorgui Dieng to Austin’s assistant GM. Noyes has spent the past six seasons with the Grizzlies, most recently as a player development coach. Larson has been in the Spurs organization since 2019, while Dieng was hired in 2023 following his retirement as a player.
• Speaking at a youth basketball camp in Dallas over the weekend, veteran forward P.J. Washington said he believes the Mavericks are capable of winning a title after their offseason moves and discussed the areas of his own game that he’s working on improving, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News relays. “My ball-handling, being able to rebound the ball and just push and be another outlet,” Washington said. “Being able to shoot off the dribble. Pretty much everything. Working on finishing through contact. Just trying to be a better three-level scorer and trying to be a better play-maker.”
• Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explores what Grizzlies fans should realistically expect from rookie center Zach Edey, who will likely be asked to play a significant role in his first NBA season.