San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Josh Huestis Receives Camp Invite From Spurs

September 5th, 2018 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Thunder swingman Josh Huestis has received a camp invite from the Spurs, Fred Katz of MassLive.com tweets. The news was confirmed by Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

There’s been little news regarding Huestis since he entered unrestricted free agency this summer. The Thunder didn’t pick up his fourth-year option prior to last season.

Huestis wasn’t able to establish a steady rotation role with Oklahoma City until his third and last season with that organization. He saw action in 69 games and averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 14.2 MPG but shot just 28.7% from long range. He also saw spot duty in four postseason games.

The Spurs currently have 14 players with contract guarantees, so there is a roster opening if Huestis shines in training camp. The Spurs have Rudy Gay, Lonnie Walker and Dante Cunningham as small forward options but the retirement of Manu Ginobili could open the door for Huestis.

The 6’7” Huestis was a late first-round pick in 2014 out of Stanford and spent the bulk of his time in the G League prior to last season.

Spurs Sign Chimezie Metu To Three-Year Deal

September 4th, 2018 at 5:32pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 4: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

AUGUST 30: The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with 2018 second-round pick Chimezie Metu, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Metu is signing a three-year deal with San Antonio.

Metu, a 6’11” forward/center, declared for the draft as an early entrant this past spring after a productive season at USC. In his junior year, Metu averaged 15.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.7 BPG with a .523 FG% in 34 games.

The Spurs used the 49th overall pick in the 2018 draft to nab Metu, and while it took a couple months for the two sides to finalize a contract agreement, Charania notes that the team is “high” on the young big man.

San Antonio will use a portion of its mid-level exception to complete its deal with Metu. The Spurs initially used about $6.15MM of their $8.64MM MLE to sign Marco Belinelli, and could’ve fit Dante Cunningham‘s one-year, $2.49MM contract neatly into the remaining portion of that exception.

However, signing Cunningham using the mid-level exception would’ve prevented San Antonio from offering Metu more than two years, since the team only would have had the bi-annual exception and minimum salary exception still available in that scenario. Instead, the Spurs completed their deal with Cunningham using the bi-annual exception, leaving their MLE open for Metu.

The Spurs currently have 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, not counting Manu Ginobili, who figures to be waived at some point after having announced his retirement. Metu’s deal will almost certainly have at least a guaranteed first year, increasing San Antonio’s fully guaranteed contract count to 14. Quincy Pondexter, who reportedly received a partial guarantee on his new contract, is also in the mix for a spot on the regular season roster.

Team USA Announces Camp Roster For September World Cup Qualifiers

September 3rd, 2018 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Fourteen players will participate in a Las Vegas training camp beginning this Thursday, USA Basketball announced today in a press release. Of those 14 players, 12 will be named to Team USA’s roster for the club’s upcoming qualifying games for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

This set of games – the first window for the second round of qualifiers – will take place later this month. Team USA will face Uruguay on September 14, then play against Panama on September 17.

The following players will be vying for Team USA roster spots for these qualifying contests:

Bryce Alford, G
Dwayne Bacon, SG
V.J. Beachem, F
Jordan Crawford, SG
Henry Ellenson, F/C
Reggie Hearn, SG
Isaiah Hicks, PF
Dakari Johnson, C
Frank Mason III, PG
Ben Moore, F
Chasson Randle, PG
Travis Trice, SG
Jameel Warney, PF
Derrick White, PG

In the first round of qualifying games for the 2019 World Cup, Team USA was made up predominantly of G League players. That’s the case to some extent again this time, with guys like Hearn and Warney returning. However, many of the players this time around are currently under contract with NBA teams, including Bacon (Hornets), Ellenson (Pistons), Hicks (Knicks), Mason (Kings), Trice (Bucks), and White (Spurs).

“With our September second-round games marking the start of the most critical part of the World Cup Qualifying, I think it is imperative for us to look for players who possess mental fortitude, who are tough, and who have experience,” said Team USA head coach Jeff Van Gundy. “All of our second-round games are going to very, very difficult and competitive battles. Argentina, Panama and Uruguay are all really good and well coached.”

The second round of the World Cup qualifiers will take place over three windows of competition in September, November, and February. Team USA will play two games apiece vs. Argentina, Panama, and Uruguay during that stretch.

Having posted a 5-1 record during the first round of qualifiers, Team USA is tied for first with Argentina in Group E, which is made up of six teams. If Team USA remains in the top three of the Group E standings by the end of February’s games, the squad will qualify for the 2019 World Cup, which will take place in China next September.

And-Ones: Mayo, G. Davis, O’Bryant, DeRozan

September 2nd, 2018 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

With training camps set to open later this month, time is running short for O.J. Mayo if he wants to get reinstated before the new season starts, writes Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders. Mayo hasn’t played in the NBA since fracturing his right ankle in March of 2016. A few months later, he was banned for two years for a second violation of the league’s Anti-Drug Program.

Mayo is now eligible for reinstatement and is reportedly searching for an opportunity. He played 21 games this summer with a team in Puerto Rico and impressed scouts with his performance. He was released in June, possibly because of his desire to join an NBA team.

The league and the players association would both have to sign off on Mayo’s return before he can be reinstated. He also has to prove that he has gone more than a year without a failed drug test. Milwaukee renounced his rights after the suspension, so Mayo will be an unrestricted free agent if he does return to the NBA.

There’s more NBA-related news to pass along:

Fresh off winning a BIG3 title, Glen Davis is exploring his overseas options, relays Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Davis played eight years with the Celtics, Magic and Clippers, but hasn’t been in the league since the 2014/15 season.
Health concerns may derail a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv for Johnny O’Bryant, tweets Roi Cohen of Sport 5 in Israel. A physical revealed a potential heart problem for the power forward, and the team is waiting for the results of cardiac tests before making a decision. O’Bryant spent part of last season with the Hornets, averaging 4.8 points in 36 games. He was shipped to the Knicks at the trade deadline in exchange for Willy Hernangomez, then was waived the next day. O’Bryant also played for the Bucks and Nuggets in a four-year NBA career.
After an offseason trade to the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan is the player most likely to have a disappointing season, according to Drew Moresca of Basketball Insiders. DeRozan will miss the chemistry he had with Kyle Lowry in Toronto, Moresca writes, and the advantages of playing alongside a top flight point guard. San Antonio also has fewer above-average 3-point shooters than the Raptors did, so DeRozan may find a more difficult path to drive to the basket. Moresca tabs the Heat as the team most likely to decline, with the Pelicans as runners-up.

White And Walker Replacing Ginobili?

August 29th, 2018 at 8:34pm CST by clarkcrum

After playing 16 seasons in the NBA, former Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili retired earlier this week. His departure now opens the door for increased roles on the Spurs for both Derrick White and Lonnie Walker, writes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype.

As Kalbrosky notes, Ginobili was used as the primary ball handler in pick-and-rolls for a majority of his possessions last season, and was also used as a spot-up shooter. White also excelled on these play types during his 17 games as a rookie for the Spurs last season. White was also dominant in the G League, meaning he may be ready for an increased role in his second season in the NBA.

Walker, meanwhile, has shown tremendous flashes of potential. At Miami, he was also thrust into the role as a spot-up shooter and ball handler. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich does not generally give a lot of playing time to rookies, but with Ginobili gone, it’s possible he may change his tune with Walker.

In another article for HoopsHype, Kalbrosky looks at how even though the Spurs have always been at the forefront of basketball analytics, they will now heavily rely on two of the most mid-range-happy jump shooters in the NBA in LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan.

Community Shootaround: What’s Next For Popovich?

August 29th, 2018 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs‘ three longest-tenured players left the team this offseason, with Tony Parker departing in free agency, Kawhi Leonard getting traded to Toronto, and Manu Ginobili announces his retirement earlier this week.

San Antonio still has a pair of All-NBA players in DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, along with a handful of reliable veterans – Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, Marco Belinelli – and a group of up-and-coming youngsters, such as Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, and Jakob Poeltl. Even without Ginobili, the Spurs should be a strong playoff contender in the competitive Western Conference in 2018/19.

Nonetheless, with longtime Spurs like Parker and Ginobili leaving San Antonio just two years after Tim Duncan did, it’s fair to wonder how Gregg Popovich‘s mindset has been affected by the upheaval on the roster, not to mention to the impact his wife’s death in April might have had on his future plans.

Popovich is by far the NBA’s longest-tenured head coach, having taking over on the Spurs’ sidelines back in 1996 — no other head coach has been in his current role since before 2008. Popovich will also turn 70 years old during the 2018/19 season and has been working as a basketball coach in some capacity for the last four and a half decades. It’s possible that Popovich may not want to keep his job with the Spurs for a whole lot longer.

In a roundtable for NBA.com, a series of writers and reporters explored Popovich’s possible future, with Steve Aschburner and Shaun Powell of NBA.com speculating that the three-time Coach of the Year will coach for two more years, then treat the 2020 Olympics as his farewell to the game. However, Sekou Smith, who was impressed by Popovich’s energy at the Team USA minicamp last month, writes that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the longtime Spurs coach remain in his current role for another three or four years.

What do you think? Will the departures of Parker and Ginobili this offseason hasten Popovich’s own exit? Will the 2020 Olympics be his last hurrah? Or can we expect to see the five-time NBA champion stick with the Spurs for several more years to come?

Jump into the comment section below to weigh in!

Spurs Sign Quincy Pondexter

August 29th, 2018 at 11:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

AUGUST 29: The Spurs have officially signed Pondexter, the team announced today in a press release.

AUGUST 27: Free agent wing Quincy Pondexter has agreed to a one-year contract with the Spurs, ESPN’s Chris Haynes tweets. It’s a partially-guaranteed deal, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

Pondexter will essentially take the roster spot, and perhaps the role, of Manu Ginobili after the long-time Spur announced his retirement on Monday. He’ll likely compete for minutes at small forward with rookie Lonnie Walker and Dante Cunningham behind Rudy Gay.

The 6’7” Pondexter, 30, played 23 games with the Bulls last season, including a start. He averaged 2.0 PPG in 8.5 MPG and was waived at the beginning of February after the Nikola Mirotic deal with the Pelicans.

Pondexter started his career with the New Orleans franchise in 2010, then played for the Grizzlies the next 3 1/2 seasons before returning to the Pelicans for half a season.

For his career, Pondexter has averaged 5.0 PPG in 17.3 MPG over 302 appearances. He’s a career 35.7% shooter from long range, though he shot an icy 13.6% in limited action last season.

Manu Ginobili Open To Role With Spurs

August 28th, 2018 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

Manu Ginobili will soon be officially removed from the Spurs‘ roster after announcing his retirement as a player on Monday. However, he’s not opposed to the idea of sticking with the franchise in some capacity. As Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News relays, Ginobili wrote a Spanish-language column in the Argentine newspaper La Nacion in which he touched on his possible next steps.

“What I made clear to (Gregg Popovich) is that it’s not ‘Ciao, I’m leaving,'” Ginobili wrote. “My children have already started classes and while I’m in town I’ll be close to the team and the franchise. Maybe I can’t help (anymore) by taking a (charge) or (with a steal) or something, but I’ll try to add in what I can. I have a great appreciation for my teammates, for the staff and all the people on the team and I want it to go as well as possible. If I can help from the outside, I will do it with pleasure.”

If Ginobili wants to take on some sort of role with the Spurs, there’s little doubt that the team would welcome him aboard. When Tim Duncan retired in 2016, Popovich indicated that Duncan would stick around the club in an unofficial capacity and would be “coach of whatever he wants to be.” Ginobili could do something similar even if he’s not ready for – or interested in – a formal title within the organization.

Ginobili, who made his retirement announcement official on Monday, technically remains under contract with the Spurs on a $2.5MM contract for 2018/19. Like they did with Duncan in 2016, the Spurs figure to waive Ginobili at some point in the near future, ensuring that he’ll still receive his salary for the coming season.

More On Manu Ginobili’s Retirement

August 27th, 2018 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The decision by Spurs guard Manu Ginobili to retire was a very difficult one for him, one of his agents told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News. The announcement was made on Monday. Herb Rudoy indicated there were numerous factors that went into the decision, primarily that it’s “much harder to do it at age 41.” Rudoy also cited family and a desire to travel as other factors in Ginobili’s decision, Orsborn adds.

We have more regarding the retirement of the longtime Spur:

Rudoy and fellow agent Luciano Capicchioni praised their client in a statement, which was relayed by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links): “It has been our great pleasure to represent Manu. He has not only been an outstanding player, he has also been one of the finest men we have known. He understands playing for the collective good of his team and will go down in basketball history as one of the best to ever play the game.”
As the franchise did for Tim Duncan, Ginobili will likely have his uniform retired quickly, Jabari Young of the Express News tweets. The No. 20 will not be worn again without permission, Young adds.
The 20 defining moments of his career are listed in chronological order by ESPN’s Michael Wright. It begins with Ginobili getting drafted and ends with him being a finalist of the Magic Johnson award this past season.
Compliments and congratulations on a memorable career have poured in from players and coaches around the league via social media, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays. Helin’s story shares some of those posts.
Ginobili finished his Spurs career ranked fifth in franchise history in points (14,043) and rebounds (3,697), fourth in assists (4,001) and first in steals (1,392). Those are some of the numbers and facts that Frank Urbina of HoopsHype shares about the Argentinian.

Manu Ginobili Announces Retirement

August 27th, 2018 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has announced his retirement from the NBA. The team issued a press release today confirming the news, while Ginobili published his own statement via Twitter.

“Today, with a wide range of feelings, I’m announcing my retirement from basketball,” Ginobili wrote. “IMMENSE GRATITUDE to everyone (family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans) involved in my life in the last 23 years. It’s been a fabulous journey. Way beyond my wildest dreams.”

It’s the end of an era in San Antonio, where the Spurs have now seen Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, and Ginobili depart within the last two-plus years.

Ginobili, 41, was the 57th overall pick in the 1999 draft, making him one of the best second-round picks in NBA history. After being drafted, he played overseas for three more seasons, then joined the Spurs in 2002, spending the next 16 years with the franchise.

Over the course of his NBA career, Ginobili appeared in 1,057 regular season contests, averaging 13.3 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 3.5 RPG. He also played in 218 more postseason contests, winning four championships with the Spurs. A two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player, the Argentinian shooting guard was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2008.

Ginobili, who had been the NBA’s second-oldest active player and now becomes one of just seven players to spend his entire career of 16 years or more with a single time, will eventually be a Hall-of-Famer.

The Spurs had Ginobili under contract for one more season and had wanted him back for the 2018/19 campaign, but he’ll call it a career before finishing out that deal. If Duncan’s retirement in 2016 is any indication, San Antonio figure to waive Ginobili at some point and allow him to earn his $2.5MM salary for the coming season.

Ginobili’s departure will open up a spot on the Spurs’ projected regular season roster — with the veteran guard no longer in the mix, the club has just 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so there will be at least one spot up for grabs, if not two. It’s not yet clear if San Antonio will make any roster moves to fortify its backcourt in the wake of Ginobili’s retirement.

According to the Spurs, Ginobili will speak to the media about his retirement decision at some point before training camps begin, but it won’t happen this week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.