San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Notes: Popovich, Offseason, Primo, Wieskamp

October 15th, 2021 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

A report earlier this month indicated that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has seemed revitalized by the influx of young talent in San Antonio, and his comments to reporters this week back up that report. Although this year’s version of the Spurs won’t be a title contender like some of Popovich’s past teams, he said he’s “thrilled with this group,” according to Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press.

“They are basically young, energetic, have got a lot of speed,” Popovich said. “There is no need to pace yourself. Nobody is going to play 39 minutes a game, don’t have to worry about stats or individual honors or anything like that. These guys are just going to have a ball playing.”

The days of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker are long gone, but even in recent years, Popovich was able to rely on veterans like LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, and Rudy Gay. This season, the Spurs are short on go-to vets, but the veteran coach sounds perfectly fine with that.

“I have no idea who I’m going to give it to or what play we’re going to run,” Popovich said, per Dominguez. “That’s something we’re going to figure out as we move along, and to me, that’s exciting as hell.”

Here’s more from out of San Antonio:

The Spurs’ offseason moves – including signing Doug McDermott and Bryn Forbes in free agency – suggest they plan to shoot more three-pointers this season, says John Hollinger of The Athletic. San Antonio ranked dead last in the NBA last season in three-point makes (9.9) and attempts (28.4) per game.
Rookie guard Joshua Primo was “ecstatic” to land with the Spurs on draft night, according to agent Todd Ramasar, who tells Madalyn Mendoza of The San Antonio Express-News that his client had long admired the franchise. “When you think about them being the gold standard in the NBA from an organization standpoint, I think all that ties in to just how unreal it was to hear his name called at 12,” Ramasar said.
Although the Spurs essentially admitted defeat on one of their 2019 first-round picks this week when they cut Luka Samanic, the team’s hit rate in the draft remains high, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. As Finger observes, of San Antonio’s seven first-rounders since 2016, five (Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell) should be, at the very least, solid NBA contributors, while a sixth (Primo) is off to a promising start this fall.
Second-round pick Joe Wieskamp is prepared to spend a good chunk of his rookie season in the G League with the Austin Spurs and plans to make the most of it, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I just view this as a developing year. It’s all about learning, all about growing,” Wieskamp said. “Just to have that experience of playing in Austin will be great. You get more opportunities to truly be yourself and work on things in a game environment.”

Spurs Sign, Waive Damyean Dotson, Jordan Burns

October 14th, 2021 at 9:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

OCTOBER 14: Dotson and Burns have been waived, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets. Both will likely wind up with the Austin Spurs once they clear waivers.

OCTOBER 13: Free agent guard Damyean Dotson is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Spurs, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors. The team is listing Dotson as a roster member on its website, so the deal appears to be official.

Dotson, 27, played 46 games for the Cavaliers last season, averaging 6.7 points and 2.0 assists per night. He had a non-guaranteed contract for the upcoming season, but Cleveland waived him last month. Dotson was a second-round pick by the Knicks in 2017 and spent his first three NBA seasons in New York.

Dotson will fill the roster spot vacated when San Antonio waived Luka Samanic on Monday.

Like Dotson, rookie guard Jordan Burns is listed as a member of the Spurs’ roster on the team’s official website, so it appears his reported deal is done as well. The two signings give San Antonio 19 players under contract.

Ben Simmons Takes Physical, Meets With Sixers’ Brass

October 13th, 2021 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

After returning to Philadelphia on Monday, Sixers star Ben Simmons took his required physical and met with the team’s brass on Tuesday, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. That meeting included president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who says sources described it only as “brief.”

Both Pompey and Shelburne indicate that Simmons won’t be cleared to participate in any team-related activities until at least Friday, due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. As Brian Windhorst observed during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link) on Wednesday, that timeline suggests Simmons may not yet be fully vaccinated, since the league requires fully vaccinated players to register just one negative PCR test in order to interact with other players. Players who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated require at least four negative tests upon reporting to the team, according to ESPN.

We don’t know yet whether Simmons actually intends to return to the court and play for the 76ers following his holdout, but for what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says the 25-year-old’s physical showed no signs that he isn’t healthy. Simmons will be able to begin conducting individual workouts with the assistance of Sixers coaches on Wednesday, Fischer notes.

As we wait to see what the next steps are for the Sixers and Simmons, there’s no indication that the team is anywhere close to making a trade. Both Fischer and Sam Amick of The Athletic have heard that Philadelphia continues to hold out hope that a star like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal will become dissatisfied with his situation and ask for a trade, but that remains a long shot unless the Trail Blazers or Wizards get off to a really disastrous start this season.

According to Amick, Simmons’ camp hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a trade to the Nets, but sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic that the Sixers have exhibited zero interest in pursuing a deal involving Kyrie Irving.

Fischer names the Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Timberwolves, Blazers, Kings, Spurs, and Raptors as the nine teams that have remained at least somewhat engaged with Philadelphia, and adds that a “mystery” 10th club has also had “substantive” discussions with the Sixers as of late. Not even Klutch Sports is certain of the identity of that 10th team, per Fischer, who cautions that the mystery suitor still hasn’t come close to meeting Morey’s asking price.

Here’s more on Simmons:

Sources tell Fischer that the Sixers have informed potential trade partners whose offers would be heavy on draft picks that their best bet would be a three-team structure in which Philadelphia lands at least one impact player, since Morey and his front office are interested in win-now pieces rather than future assets.
Although the Timberwolves still have interest in Simmons following their front office shake-up, new head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta isn’t believed to be pursuing the three-time All-Star as aggressively as Gersson Rosas did, according to Fischer.
The Kings remain unwilling to discuss either De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton in a potential Simmons deal, while the Sixers appear unmoved by the idea of acquiring Dejounte Murray and/or Lonnie Walker from the Spurs, sources tell Bleacher Report. Fischer adds that there’s a belief the Pistons would entertain trading Jerami Grant in a deal for Simmons.
Improving the relationship between Simmons and head coach Doc Rivers is believed to be a priority for the Sixers if Simmons is going to stick around for a little while, according to Fischer, who says the two men never seemed to build a strong rapport last season. Sources tell Bleacher Report that during an offseason meeting at agent Rich Paul‘s home, when the Sixers confirmed they intended to fine Simmons for not complying with the terms of his deal, Rivers shouted, “It’s in your f–king contract” to report to training camp and play for the team.

Spurs Waive Luka Samanic

October 11th, 2021 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Spurs Cut Jaylen Morris, Denzel Mahoney; Will Sign Jordan Burns

October 11th, 2021 at 9:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs continue to shuffle players in and out of the last few spots on their roster, having waived recent signees Jaylen Morris and Denzel Mahoney over the weekend, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Both Morris and Mahoney signed training camp deals with San Antonio last week, but neither player was under contract with the team for more than a couple days. The signings were almost certainly completed with an eye toward filling out the roster of the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate. Morris and Mahoney would receive Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $50K if they report to Austin and spend at least 60 days with the NBAGL club.

After opening up two roster spots, the Spurs have reached an Exhibit 10 deal with rookie guard Jordan Burns, agent Daniel Green tells Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com (Twitter link).

Burns, 24, was the Patriot League Player of the Year in 2021 after putting up 16.8 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG on .402/.392/.899 shooting in 16 games (29.3 MPG) for Colgate. The point guard went undrafted on July 29, but is now on track to sign his first NBA contract.

Like Morris and Mahoney, Burns appears likely to end up playing in Austin — San Antonio is already facing a roster crunch for the regular season, with 17 players on guaranteed contracts competing for 15 roster spots.

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.