San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Spurs Waive Millner, Gray Ahead Of Camp

October 1st, 2023 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs have waived forward Setric Millner and forward/center RaiQuan Gray, according to the NBA transactions log.

Milner was on a two-way contract, which he signed on Sept. 18. Waiving him will open a two-way slot entering training camp.

Millner, who began his college career with Cleveland State in 2018/19, spent his sophomore year with Northwest Florida State College, then transferred to Toledo, where he played his junior, senior, and “super-senior” seasons.

In 35 games (32.7 MPG) in 2022/23, Millner averaged 16.1 PPG and 5.9 RPG with a shooting line of .496/.420/.784, earning a spot on the All-MAC Second Team. He joined the Spurs for Summer League after going undrafted and appeared in five total games for the club in Las Vegas and Sacramento this July.

Gray was signed to a training camp deal on Sept. 28. Gray was waived by Brooklyn this summer after he signed a two-way deal during the final week of the 2022/23 season in April. For the Long Island Nets, Gray averaged 15.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .578/.382/.629 shooting line in 18 games (30.6 MPG).

The Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s G League affiliate – recently acquired Gray’s returning rights from Long Island in an NBAGL trade. Assuming Gray’s new deal includes Exhibit 10 language, he’ll be in line to earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the Spurs’ G League team.

San Antonio now has 19 players on its camp, which means more moves may be forthcoming.

Spurs Sign Charles Bediako

October 1st, 2023 at 4:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Spurs have officially signed free agent rookie center Charles Bediako, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Bediako’s agreement with San Antonio was initially reported soon after the draft. Terms of the agreement have not yet been disclosed, though an Exhibit 10 training camp deal seems likely.

The seven-footer enjoyed a decorated NCAA run at Alabama. He was a 2023 SEC All-Defense and All-SEC Tourney honoree as a sophomore. During his two years with the program, Bediako posted averages of 6.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 0.7 APG and 0.6 SPG in 19.3 MPG.

Assuming Bediako has signed an Exhibit 10 deal, he could see that agreement converted to a two-way contract or, more likely, be waived by the club ahead of the regular season. He would then become eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K should he log 60 days or more with the Spurs’ NBAGL affiliate, the Austin Spurs.

Spurs Buy Out Reggie Bullock

September 30th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:23pm: The Spurs announced that Bullock has been waived, McDonald tweets.

4:09pm: The Spurs and veteran swingman Reggie Bullock have reached an agreement on a contract buyout, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Several contending teams are expected to pursue Bullock once he clears waivers, Charania adds.

There’s no word on how much money Bullock gave up in the buyout, but he had one year remaining on his contract at $10.5MM.

There was speculation that Bullock might be competing for a roster spot with Cedi Osman, who was acquired from the Cavaliers during the offseason, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Bullock’s departure seems to increase Osman’s chances of staying with the team, McDonald adds.

San Antonio acquired Bullock in July as part of the three-team deal that sent Grant Williams from Boston to Dallas. The Spurs also received the option to swap first-round picks with the Mavericks in 2030. Because of the trade, Dallas is the only team that won’t be eligible to sign Bullock once he becomes a free agent.

Bullock, 32, spent the past two seasons with Dallas, serving as a part-time starter. His scoring average fell to 7.2 PPG last season, the lowest since 2018/19, but he still shot 38% from three-point range. It’s his ability to stretch defenses that will make him popular on the open market.

The Spurs were Bullock’s seventh team in his 10 NBA seasons. The Clippers made him the 25th overall pick in 2015, but the only place he stayed for more than two years was Detroit.

The move eases the roster crunch for San Antonio, which has 16 players remaining on guaranteed contracts. At least one of them will have to be waived or traded before opening night.

NBA Announces Four-Game Suspension For Joshua Primo

September 29th, 2023 at 10:36am CST by Luke Adams

Former Spurs guard and current free agent Joshua Primo has been suspended for four games for conduct detrimental to the league, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Primo was waived by San Antonio last October due to allegations that he had exposed himself to women, including a sports psychologist who was employed by the Spurs. That employee filed suit against Primo and the Spurs last fall and settled a few weeks later.

The NBA’s announcement on Primo on Friday said that the league conducted its own investigation into the allegations against the former lottery pick.

“Following that process, the league found that Primo engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women,” the league’s statement reads. “Primo maintains that his conduct was not intentional, and the league did not find evidence that he engaged in any sexual or other misconduct apart from these brief exposures. Nevertheless, this behavior does not conform to league standards and warrants discipline.”

Primo, who appeared in four games at the start of last season before being cut, didn’t catch on with another team following his release from the Spurs. However, unlike when the NBA suspended Miles Bridges, the league didn’t announce a longer suspension and rule that it would be reduced based on “time served” — Primo’s ban is simply for four games. Unlike Bridges, Primo earned a salary last season after being cut by San Antonio.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a new rule that allows players to serve their suspensions even when they’re not under contract with a team. That rule states that every one-and-a-half regular season games played by his most recent team is equivalent to one game served on the player’s suspension.

In this case, for example, three Spurs regular season games would count as two games toward Primo’s suspension. As such, even if Primo doesn’t sign a contract before the regular season begins, his suspension would be considered served after San Antonio’s sixth game of the season (on November 5) and he would be able to play immediately if he signed with any team after that point.

Under the previous CBA, Primo wouldn’t have been able to serve his four-game ban until he signed with a new team. As Marks explains (Twitter link), this rule change was made so that free agents facing multi-game suspensions wouldn’t be passed over indefinitely by NBA teams seeking players with immediate availability.

Primo, 20, was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games (16 starts; 19.3 minutes per night) as a rookie, but struggled with efficiency, posting a .374/.307/.746 shooting slash line. He was the youngest player drafted in his class.

Spurs Sign RaiQuan Gray

September 28th, 2023 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have filled their 21-man offseason roster by signing free agent forward/center RaiQuan Gray to a training camp contract, per RealGM’s transaction log.

The 59th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Florida State, Gray spent his first professional season in the G League with the Long Island Nets. He signed a training camp contract with Brooklyn in the fall of 2022 but didn’t make the regular season roster and was cut before opening night, ultimately spending a second season in Long Island before being promoted to a two-way deal during the final week of the 2022/23 season in April.

After an underwhelming rookie season at the G League level, Gray emerged as a full-time starter in ’22/23, averaging 15.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG with a .578/.382/.629 shooting line in 18 games (30.6 MPG). However, he was waived by Brooklyn this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s G League affiliate – acquired Gray’s returning rights from Long Island in an NBAGL trade last month. That move, along with Gray’s new training camp contract, signals that San Antonio will likely waive the big man ahead of the regular season and have him report to Austin.

Assuming Gray’s new deal includes Exhibit 10 language, he’ll be in line to earn a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the Spurs’ G League team.

Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Southwest Division

September 22nd, 2023 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster right now, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Southwest Division. Let’s dive in…

Dallas Mavericks

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Seth Curry, Luka Doncic, Dante Exum, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jaden Hardy, Richaun Holmes, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones, Maxi Kleber, Dereck Lively, Dwight Powell, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Grant Williams
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Markieff Morris ($200K partial guarantee)
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 3
- Greg Brown, Jordan Walker, Joe Wieskamp
Players on two-way contracts: 2
- A.J. Lawson, Mike Miles

The Mavericks spend much of the early part of the offseason on the hunt for a reliable veteran center, having been linked to players like Deandre Ayton and Clint Capela. They’d probably still welcome a trade for a big man if one falls into their laps, but if not, they seem likely to open the season with a full 15-man roster that features their current 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Morris.

Dallas’ Exhibit 10 camp invitees, including Brown, Walker, and Wieskamp, could end up vying to earn the team’s final two-way contract.

Houston Rockets

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 12
- Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Jeff Green, Jock Landale, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, Jae’Sean Tate, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, Cam Whitmore
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 2
- Boban Marjanovic ($1.3MM partial guarantee), Aaron Holiday ($1.05MM partial guarantee)
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 4
- Nate Hinton, Matthew Mayer, Joshua Obiesie, Jeenathan Williams
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Darius Days, Trevor Hudgins, Jermaine Samuels

It’s extremely unlikely that Porter will play another game for the Rockets — the question is whether he’ll be traded, released, or simply sent home for the start of the season.

Whether or not Porter remains on the roster, Houston is in position to add one more player to its 15-man squad before opening night, since grouping Marjanovic and Holiday with the 12 players with guaranteed salaries would leave one opening.

Memphis Grizzlies

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 17
- Steven Adams, Santi Aldama, Desmond Bane, Josh Christopher, Brandon Clarke, Jaren Jackson Jr., Luke Kennard, John Konchar, Jake LaRavia, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Ja Morant, David Roddy, Derrick Rose, Marcus Smart, Xavier Tillman, Isaiah Todd, Ziaire Williams
Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 1
- Shaquille Harrison
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Jacob Gilyard, G.G. Jackson, Vince Williams

Five games into Morant’s suspension, the Grizzlies will be able to move him to the suspended list and open up an extra roster spot. However, that won’t be possible at the start of the season, so Memphis will have to trade or waive two of its 17 players with guaranteed contracts by opening night. Christopher and Todd appear to be the most at risk, especially if no trade opportunities arise.

New Orleans Pelicans

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- Dyson Daniels, Jordan Hawkins, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones, Kira Lewis, E.J. Liddell, Naji Marshall, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Larry Nance Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, Zion Williamson, Cody Zeller
Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Jose Alvarado
Players on two-way contracts: 1
- Dereon Seabron
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 4
- Trey Jemison (training camp), Tevian Jones (training camp), Landers Nolley (training camp), Liam Robbins (training camp)

Alvarado is a lock to make the roster, of course, which would give the Pelicans 14 players on standard contracts. New Orleans is a little over the tax and would rather duck below that line (perhaps by trading Lewis) than go further above it, so I wouldn’t expect the team to add a 15th man for opening night unless it can make a cost-cutting trade.

The Pelicans’ primary offseason goal could be finding a pair of players who will join Seabron on two-way deals. Jemison, Jones, Nolley, and Robbins haven’t been officially signed yet, but they could all be contenders for one of those spots.

San Antonio Spurs

Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 17
- Charles Bassey, Khem Birch, Malaki Branham, Reggie Bullock, Julian Champagnie, Sidy Cissoko, Zach Collins, Devonte’ Graham, Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Doug McDermott, Cedi Osman, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama, Blake Wesley
Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Dominick Barlow, Seth Millner, Sir’Jabari Rice
Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 1
- Charles Bediako (training camp)

Like Memphis, San Antonio will have to trade or release two players with guaranteed salaries before the season begins. A report last week suggested that the Spurs probably won’t make any more cuts before training camp begins, with all 17 of those players on guaranteed deals given the opportunity to make a strong impression at camp.

Of course, some roster spots are more secure than others. Osman, Bullock, McDermott, and perhaps Bassey could be trade candidates, while Birch and Graham will have little trade value and might be the odd men out if San Antonio decides to simply waive two players. The Spurs already removed one veteran on an expiring contract from their roster when they cut Cameron Payne earlier this month.

Previously:

Sandro Mamukelashvili Sees Greater Opportunity In San Antonio

September 21st, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Sandro Mamukelashvili is looking forward to his first full season with the Spurs after seeing limited playing time with the Bucks to start his NBA career, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio claimed Mamukelashvili off waivers in early March and he averaged 23.3 minutes per night in 19 games. “It was hard with Milwaukee to find my spot and to gel,” Mamukelashvili said. “We had a lot of older guys who took me under their wing like a little brother, but here (in San Antonio) everything is more my age. We’re all in the same situation.”

Spurs Waive Javante McCoy

September 21st, 2023 at 7:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have waived guard Javante McCoy less than a week after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.

McCoy, 25, spent his rookie season in 2022/23 with the South Bay Lakers in the G League after going undrafted out of Boston University. He came off the bench in 26 regular season NBAGL games, averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 25.8 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .524/.370/.767.

McCoy played for San Antonio’s Summer League team in Sacramento and Las Vegas this July, appearing in six total games for the club.

The Austin Spurs recently acquired McCoy’s G League rights in a trade with South Bay. That move – along with the fact that he was waived so soon after being signed – signals that San Antonio intends to have him report to its NBAGL affiliate this fall. Assuming he spends at least 60 days with Austin, McCoy will earn a bonus worth $75K on top of his G League salary.

The Spurs now have 20 players under contract, leaving one open spot on their 21-man offseason roster.

Spurs Notes: 2023/24 Outlook, Wembanyama, Olympics

September 19th, 2023 at 7:22pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite adding No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs appear set to be a lottery team once again in 2023/24, writes Paul Fogerty of SpursTalk.

As Fogerty notes, San Antonio is anticipated to surpass the 22-60 record it posted last season, but will likely still finish well below .500. Part of the thinking behind that forecast, per Fogerty, is that the makeup of the rest of the club remains fairly unchanged this year.

There’s more out of San Antonio:

Bouncing back from the lottery dregs for the Spurs is going to take more than adding Wembanyama, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez and Kevin Pelton opine. The Spurs’ two previous No. 1 picks, Hall of Fame big men Tim Duncan and David Robinson, powered San Antonio to two of the three best single-season improvements in NBA history during their respective rookie years. Duncan led the Spurs to a 36-win turnaround in 1997/98, while Robinson propelled San Antonio to a 35-win shift in 1989/90. However, it’s unfair to place the same expectations on Wembanyama, ESPN’s duo writes.
Wembanyama has confirmed that he plans to play for Team France at the Paris Olympics next summer, according to The Associated Press. “Performing well at the Olympics would be a great story,” Wembanyama said. “I’ll be present at the Olympics, and there’s no other goal than gold.” France won the silver medal at the most recent summer games in 2021, but did not advance out of the first round in the FIBA World Cup this summer. “The World Cup was very disappointing,” Wembanyama was quoted as saying on Tuesday. “But I have no judgment to make as I wasn’t there.”
In case you missed it, free agent guard Javante McCoy has signed an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with the Spurs.

Contract Details: Morris, Gibson, Boban, Forrest, Millner

September 18th, 2023 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Markieff Morris‘ new contract with the Mavericks is a one-year, minimum-salary deal that is partially guaranteed, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who tweets that Morris received a $200K guarantee.

The agreement doesn’t include any early salary guarantee dates prior to the league-wide salary guarantee date in January, so Morris will have to remain under contract beyond January 7 in order to earn his full $3,196,448 salary. If it becomes guaranteed, it will count for $2,019,706 against the Mavericks’ cap, with the NBA covering the difference between the cap hit and Morris’ full salary.

Here are a few more contract details from around the NBA:

The one-year, minimum-salary deal that Taj Gibson signed with the Wizards is fully guaranteed, Hoops Rumors has learned. That gives Washington a total of 17 players on standard guaranteed contracts, meaning the club will need to trade or waive at least two of those players before opening night.
Boban Marjanovic‘s one-year contract with the Rockets will be worth the veteran’s minimum and will be partially guaranteed, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The two-way contracts recently signed by Trent Forrest (Hawks) and Setric Millner (Spurs) each cover just one year, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means Forrest and Millner will become eligible for restricted free agency in 2024, assuming they play out their respective deals.
In case you missed it, we recently passed along the details on Danny Green‘s non-guaranteed contract with the Sixers, including multiple partial guarantee dates.