San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Notes: Final Roster Spot, Eubanks, McDermott, Walker

October 10th, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

There appears to be a three-way competition for the Spurs‘ final roster spot, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The team has 17 players with guaranteed contracts, and it looks like the decision will come down to forwards Luka Samanic, Keita Bates-Diop and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Samanic, 21, was taken with the 19th pick in 2019, but hasn’t established himself in San Antonio, playing just 36 games in two seasons. The Spurs have an October 31 deadline to pick up his option for 2022/23, but they may decide to part with him before then. Coach Gregg Popovich gave Samanic a start in Friday’s preseason game, and McDonald described the results as “mixed.”

“He hasn’t played very much, so his is more of a confidence game and understanding what it takes to be a player,” Popovich explained.

Bates-Diop, 25, signed a two-year, $3.5MM contract before training camp began, but only this season is guaranteed at $1.7MM and he has been slowed by a hamstring injury. Aminu, who was acquired in the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade, is owed $10.1MM this season in the final year of his contract. Knee injuries have limited him to 41 games over the past two seasons and he recognizes that he has an uphill fight to make the roster.

“That’s your whole life,” he said. “You go to one camp and maybe there are 100 guys. Even from high school, everyone is competing. We understand the business of whatever the case can be.”

There’s more from San Antonio:

Drew Eubanks‘ place on the roster appears secure, even though the Spurs could easily afford to unload his $1.76MM salary, McDonald adds. Eubanks has steadily improved throughout his three seasons with the organization, and Popovich recently called him “a poor man’s Dave Cowens.”
Free-agent addition Doug McDermott feels suited to the Spurs’ new offensive philosophy, which is based on movement with fewer set plays, McDonald notes in a separate story. The 29-year-old is with his sixth NBA team, and San Antonio is counting on him to boost its outside shooting. “The system is great because it’s a lot of random basketball, and that’s what my game is built for,” he said.
Popovich is enjoying the challenge of coaching young players after so many years of having a veteran team, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The coach also praised the progress of Lonnie Walker, saying he has added game-related knowledge to his athletic skills (Twitter link).

Fischer Examines Popovich's Future, Potential Successors

October 8th, 2021 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

Some people around the NBA believe the 2021/22 season could be Gregg Popovich‘s last as the Spurs‘ head coach, but others say he has been revitalized by the team’s influx of young talent, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. In his look at potential contenders to succeed Popovich in San Antonio, Fischer mentions former Spurs assistants Brett Brown and Jacque Vaughn, along with several of the same candidates identified last week by ESPN’s Zach Lowe.

Spurs Sign Jaylen Morris To Non-Guaranteed Contract

October 8th, 2021 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs signed free agent guard Jaylen Morris to a contract on Thursday, according to the official transactions log at RealGM. It’s a non-guaranteed training camp contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Morris, 26, has played in the NBA, the G League, and multiple international leagues since going undrafted out of Molloy in 2017. He appeared in a total of 10 games for Atlanta and Milwaukee in 2018 and has played 78 games at the G League level, averaging 13.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG on .527/.325/.732 shooting in 32.3 minutes per contest for four NBAGL clubs.

Morris also played in Greece in 2019/20 and in Israel in 2020, and suited up for San Antonio’s Summer League team this August.

The Spurs are carrying 17 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so there’s no path to a 15-man roster spot for Morris. Since he last played for the Austin Spurs, the 6’5″ shooting guard will likely return to San Antonio’s G League affiliate this season. Assuming his deal contains Exhibit 10 language, he’ll earn a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Austin.

Denzel Mahoney Signs Camp Deal With Spurs

October 7th, 2021 at 4:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 7: The deal is now official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

OCTOBER 6: The Spurs have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with undrafted rookie guard Denzel Mahoney, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Mahoney spent the last two seasons at Creighton after a two-year stint with Southeast Missouri. He averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 1.7 APG for the Bluejays last season.

Mahoney participated in the mini-combine in Minneapolis prior to the draft and was on the Hornets’ summer league team in Las Vegas. He appeared in three games there, posting modest numbers.

Given the terms of his deal, Mahoney will likely wind up with the G League’s Austin Spurs. The Exhibit 10 language in his contract would put him in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with San Antonio’s G League squad.

The Spurs are below the 20-man limit in training camp, so Mahoney can be added without immediately shedding another player.

Southwest Notes: Thad, Spurs Youth, Wood, Clarke, Tillman

October 5th, 2021 at 5:43pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Spurs forward Thaddeus Young appears to be staying put in San Antonio for the time being. The Suns continue to be intrigued by the versatile veteran, but an immediate move is “doubtful,” per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link).

Young was sent to the Spurs from Chicago in the sign-and-trade package that netted the Bulls pricey small forward DeMar DeRozan during the 2021 offseason. The 33-year-old Young enjoyed a stellar year with the Bulls in 2020/21, averaging 12.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 4.3 APG while logging time at the small forward, power forward, and center positions for a Chicago team in desperate need of his veteran leadership, passing skills, and defensive savvy.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

With longtime leaders DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Patty Mills and Rudy Gay now all gone from the Spurs‘ roster, the club’s young players have developed a strong bond together, writes Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “The Spurs do a great job of picking people who have great personalities off the court,” said 22-year-old shooting guard Lonnie Walker. “We all hang out every other day, going out to eat, doing something as a team… As we continue to build that trust, it starts to lead onto the court, knowing what each other can do, knowing what each other can’t do, what we should be better at.”
When Rockets center Christian Wood first inked a three-year, $41MM deal with Houston in the 2020 offseason, he was not anticipating that he’d soon find himself on a rebuilding roster. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle details how Wood continues to look on the bright side of his new situation. At the time, the club still sported then-All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook, along with veteran power forward P.J. Tucker. Now all those players have moved on. Westbrook was subsequently traded to the Wizards later in the 2020 offseason (and has now been rerouted to the Lakers), while Harden forced his way onto the Nets and Tucker was sent to the 2021 title-winning Bucks. “I know what we’re trying to build and develop,” Wood said. “I’m looking ahead at the future at what this team has to offer. I know we have a bunch of young talent. I said before, we’re not going to go in try to be the No. 1 seed or No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. But we’re going to try to play every game like it’s our last.”
Though they could play together, defensive-oriented 6’8″ Grizzlies bench big men Brandon Clarke and Xavier Tillman Sr. seem poised to compete with each other to carve out rotation roles in Memphis, writes Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian. Herrington suggests that Tillman may have an edge edge over Clarke in the eventual rotation, thanks in part to his solid shooting and half-court passing acumen.

Pau Gasol Announces Retirement

October 5th, 2021 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, veteran big man Pau Gasol announced his retirement as a basketball player today at a press conference in Barcelona.

The third overall pick in the 2001 draft, Gasol began his NBA career with Memphis after playing for Barcelona in Spain from 1998-2001. He won the Rookie of the Year award in his first season and ultimately spent 18 years in the NBA with the Grizzlies, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs, and Bucks, averaging an impressive 17.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 1,226 regular season games.

Gasol appeared in another 136 playoff contests, posting 15.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 1.7 BPG in those games for the Lakers, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Bulls. The 41-year-old is a six-time All-Star who won a pair of championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, as well as three Olympics medals (two silvers and a bronze) for Spain. He also made the All-NBA team four times.

Gasol last appeared in an NBA game in March 2019, when he briefly played for Milwaukee. Since then, he has undergone multiple surgeries to repair stress fractures in the navicular bone in his left foot, which prevented him from making an NBA comeback — he signed with Portland for the 2019/20 season, but never suited up for the team for health reasons.

However, Gasol was able to return to action for Barcelona this past year, winning a Liga ACB title with the team in 2021 after having won championships in 1999 and 2001 with the club. He also played for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics before officially calling it a career. Following his retirement, Gasol appears on track for eventual enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Although Pau has been out of the league for a couple years, 2021/22 might be the first NBA season since 2000/01 that doesn’t feature at least one Gasol brother. Pau’s younger brother Marc Gasol isn’t currently on an NBA roster and is reportedly considering remaining in Spain this season.

Spurs Release Nate Renfro, Aric Holman

October 4th, 2021 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs waived a pair of recent roster additions over the weekend, cutting guard Nate Renfro and big man Aric Holman, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Neither move comes as a surprise. San Antonio signed both players to non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts with an eye toward having them eventually join the Austin Spurs in the G League. The Exhibit 10 deals will ensure that both players receive bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with Austin.

Renfro, who went undrafted in 2019 out of San Francisco, spent the 2019/20 season recovering from a torn ACL, then played for the Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s G League affiliate – during the 2021 NBAGL bubble season.

Holman, who also went undrafted in 2019, played for the Texas Legends as a rookie and for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany during his second professional season. The former Mississippi State standout suited up for Boston during the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League.

Following their cuts, the Spurs have 18 players under contract, including 17 on guaranteed standard contracts. They’ll have to trade or waive at least two of those players before the start of the regular season, and may continue shuffling players through their last two roster spots for G League purposes.

Southwest Notes: Spurs Roster, Pelicans, Sengun, Porter

October 3rd, 2021 at 1:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Though the 2021/22 Spurs roster may confuse some outsiders, head coach Gregg Popovich indicates that the team was constructed with plenty of intentionality, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express News writes. Finger notes that the club’s front office appears to be open-minded about the potential of the team this season.

“This was purposeful, what you are seeing,” Popovich said. “It was put together with a lot of foresight and a lot of discussion.”

Finger notes that the keys to the franchise have now been handed to intriguing young players like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, Keldon Johnson, and rookie lottery selection Joshua Primo.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

With the first week of Pelicans training camp in the books, Christian Clark, Scott Kushner and Rod Walker of NOLA.com assess the latest news out of New Orleans. The team discussed the unified front presented by injured Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson and head of basketball operations David Griffin, the apparent increased strength of 2020 All-Star forward Brandon Ingram, new head coach Willie Green, and more.
The rebuilding Rockets appear ready to use the 2021/22 season to develop their youth. Rookie forward Alperen Sengun, the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft, is already leaving his mark with the club, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “He showed he can play in the high post and make plays for other guys, no look passes, all kinds of stuff, which is really good,” head coach Stephen Silas noted after an early practice. “Then, when he catches it in the paint, he has pivots and fakes, and all that. He’s going to be exciting for people to see.”
Talented swingman Kevin Porter Jr. is ready to grow with the Rockets, his second NBA team so far, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I want to be able to do everything great,” Porter said. During his first season in Houston, Porter averaged 16.6 PPG, 6.3 APG, 3.8 RPG and 0.7 SPG across 26 games.

Spurs Notes: Primo, Aminu, McDermott, Collins

October 3rd, 2021 at 10:11am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs are preparing first-round pick Joshua Primo for the possibility that he may spend part of his rookie season in the G League, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. At age 18, the former Alabama guard was among the youngest players taken in this year’s draft and he may need time in Austin to get ready for the NBA.

“I’m open to anything that is going to get me extra reps and get me better,” he said. “I know I am young, and any way I can get better, I am up to it. But I haven’t heard anything yet.”

Primo has several teammates who spent time in the G League early in their careers, and they have been selling him on the benefits.

“All the guys have told me the G League is there to help,” Primo said. “If I am there, I am going to use it to the best of my ability.”

There’s more from San Antonio:

Al-Farouq Aminu, one of the few veterans in the Spurs’ camp, is on his seventh team in 11 years after being traded from Chicago as part of the DeMar DeRozan deal, Orsborn adds in the same piece. The 31-year-old is trying to bounce back from knee problems that have limited him to 41 combined games over the past two seasons. “It is basketball … We understand the business,” Aminu said. “I remember a vet told me, ‘Control what you can control.’ All I can do is put out max effort.”
Growing up, Doug McDermott thought he would be a good fit with the Spurs because of their approach to the game, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express News. At age 29 and with seven years in the NBA, McDermott got to San Antonio over the summer in a sign-and-trade. “Doug can fit in anywhere,” teammate Bryn Forbes said. “When you can shoot the ball and score the ball, it’s not hard to fit in. You can just kind of mold and adapt to a lot of different situations.”
The Spurs’ medical staff expects center Zach Collins to return “after Christmas,” coach Gregg Popovich told reporters (Twitter link from Orsborn). The free agent addition has played a combined 11 games over the past two seasons and has undergone multiple foot surgeries.

Six Teams Still Inquiring About Simmons’ Availability

October 2nd, 2021 at 9:10am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Timberwolves, Pacers, Cavaliers, Pistons, Raptors and Spurs continue to inquire about Ben Simmons’ availability, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports via a league source.

The Simmons saga is one of the major storylines of this preseason and it took another twist on Friday when reports surfaced that the Sixers were withholding an $8.25MM advance payment from their disgruntled playmaker.

However, as Pompey points out, this standoff could drag on until after December 15, when many free agents signed this summer can be included in trades.

The Sixers have put an exorbitant price tag on Simmons, in part while waiting to see if the Trail Blazers made Damian Lillard available or if the Wizards were willing to part with Bradley Beal. Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, tried to assist the Sixers in receiving a five-player package for Simmons in a three-team trade but Philadelphia’s asking price was too rich, according to Pompey.

The withheld salary has been placed in an escrow account. Simmons is likely to receive all the money in his contract once he’s traded, Pompey notes, since it’s expected the team that acquires him will waive the fines the Sixers have instituted for his refusal to show up for training camp.

The Inquirer’s beat writer explored the standoff in great detail. Here are some highlights:

Simmons’ desire to be traded was communicated to the front office just days after the team was eliminated from the playoffs. Paul told GM Elton Brand his client wanted out three days after the Hawks bounced the team out of the playoff chase. Brand then told president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
When the Sixers asked why Simmons wanted out, Paul told them his client was “mentally exhausted,” says Pompey.
When Morey was hired last November, Simmons suspected he wouldn’t be with the franchise long-term. He was the centerpiece in trade talks with Morey’s former team, Houston, in the Sixers’ failed attempt to acquire James Harden. Simmons even went house shopping in Houston in anticipation of being dealt.
Simmons doesn’t have any ill will toward his All-Star teammate Joel Embiid, but believes their partnership on the court has “run its course.” Even if he does return to Philadelphia to rejoin the team, Simmons has no intentions of playing another game for the Sixers.