Veterans Paul, Barnes join youthful mix
The Spurs have opted for savvy over splashy in their offseason quest to build a more competitive roster around 20-year-old franchise anchor Victor Wembanyama.
General manager Brian Wright has retained the team's most appealing assets – namely, a trove of future first-round picks and attractive pick swaps over the next seasons – while injecting the roster with both functional veterans (Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes) and rookies (Stephon Castle, Harrison Ingram) who jibe with the reigning Rookie of the Year's timeline.
Here's a look at what the Spurs' depth chart could look like once the 2024-25 season begins in October.
Point guard: Chris Paul, Tre Jones, Blake Wesley
The Spurs signed future Paul to a one-year deal to fortify the point guard position. Though he turned 39 in May, the 12-time Allstar can still sling the rock and toss pinpoint lobs with the best of them, and his veteran savvy will be invaluable on one of the league's youngest teams.
The future Hall of Famer largely operated as Stephen Curry's backup last season, coming off the bench in 40 of 58 games. He averaged 11.9 points, 7.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.3 turnovers, 1.9 3pointers and 30.7 minuets as a starter. The grizzled guard led the league in assist ratio (41.1) and ranked third in assist/turnover ratio (5.2), eighth in potential assists per game (12.9) and 15th in assist points created per game (17.3) among players with at least 50 appearances, per NBA tracking data.
Jones, who was in kindergarten when Paul made his NBA debut, will likely be shuffled back to the bench to make way for the league's third-oldest player. Even off the pine, the 24year-old will be an integral part of the team's hopeful voyage back to the playoffs.
The 6-foot-1 Duke product provided needed stability after the failed “Point Sochan” experiment, averaging 11.3 points on 53% shooting, 7.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds and just 1.6 turnovers in 48 starts last season. San Antonio was 11.9 points worse (per 100 possessions) when Jones sat in 2023-24, which represented the most dramatic on/ off split of any Spur.
Blake Wesley will be back for his third season with the team after averaging 4.4 points and 2.7 assists in 61 appearances.
Shooting guard: Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Malaki Branham
Vassell will make a team-high $29.3 million this season with his fiveyear, $135 million contract set to kick in. Though he missed time early on with a groin injury and sat out the final eight games with a foot ailment, the 6-5 shooting guard posted career highs in scoring average (19.5), assist average (4.1), total 3-pointers (166) and field goal percentage (47.2%) in ‘23-24.
Vassell was a key component of the Spurs' best lineup alongside Wembanyama, Jones, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johson. That group outscored opponents by an eye-popping 20.8 points per 100 possessions, the fifth-best mark in the league among units that played at least 100 minutes together.
Drafted fourth overall last month, Castle won't be overly burdened as a rookie with Paul, Vassell and Jones around. He's a rangy, tough-as-dirt defender with a 6-9 wingspan who can harass smaller guards and switch onto bigger wings when needed, traits that will grant Gregg Popovich plenty of lineup options. That includes playing Castle at the one, a challenge he's eager to tackle after showcasing some nascent point guard skills while helping Uconn win the 2024 national championship.
Branham averaged 9.2 points, 2.1 assists, two rebounds and 1.2 3s over 75 games last season. He will likely have a reduced role.
Small forward: Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Sidy Cissoko
Barnes, 31, arrives from Sacramento as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Bulls. He provides good size on the wing at 6-8 and is a career 38% 3-point shooter who has knocked down at least 130 triples in three straight seasons. The Spurs needed another reliable shooter after ranking 28th in 3-point percentage (34.7%) and 16th in 3s per game (12.6) last year, and Barnes can at least provide that. Barnes tends to struggle when guarding strapping forwards and brawny wings, but playing alongside Sochan and Wembanyama should allow Popovich to put the 12-year veteran into more favorable matchups.
After leading the Spurs in scoring in 2022-23 (22.0 per game), Johnson ran hot and cold while adjusting to a bench role following three seasons as a starter, though he still played nearly 30 minutes a game. The 6-5 forward averaged 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 3s in 69 appearances.
The Frenchman drafted by San Antonio in 2024, 20-year-old Cissoko played in just 12 games and averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds as a rookie. He underwent a minor knee surgery in May and is currently with the Spurs for Summer League competition in California.
Power forward: Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Ingram
Sochan's trial run as a point guard to start last season overshadowed what was otherwise an encouraging sophomore campaign. The colorful forward averaged 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 0.8 steals while badgering everyone from Kevin Durant to Luka Doncic with his tireless, physical defense.
Opponents will still dare Sochan to hoist it from deep (30.8% from 3). Fortunately, he'll be surrounded by a better cadre of shooters this year. Sochan also left a strong final impression, tallying 13.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in March before sustaining a season-ending ankle injury on March 29 against the Knicks. The Spurs may need to waive Champagnie to create cap space for Barnes, but he's on the roster for now. The 6-8 forward cracked Popovich's rotation last season, posting 6.8 points 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 3s and 19.8 minutes in 74 games (59 starts).
The Spurs used the No. 48 pick in this year's draft on UNC forward Harrison Ingram. The Dallas native boasts a well-rounded game, having averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 3s and 1.4 steals in his lone season with the Tar Heels. Ingram could spend a good chunk of time with the Spurs' G League affiliate in Austin.
Center:
Victor Wembanyama, Zach Collins, Charles Bassey
Wembanyama is Wembanyama. Not much else needs to be said following the 7-foot-3 wunderkind's mind-boggling rookie season. He will enter Year 2 as a legitimate ALL-NBA candidate and the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds 3.9 assists, a league-leading 3.6 blocks, 1.8 3s and 1.2 steals.
Collins is a serviceable backup big entering his fourth season in San Antonio. The 6-11 center averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.8 blocks in 69 games last year. Collins stepped up down the stretch by posting 13.4 points on 52% shooting, 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists to help the Spurs go 4-3 in April.
Like Champagnie, Bassey may be waived in order to make the cap math with Barnes work. He averaged 3.3 points, four rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19 games before suffering a seasonending ACL injury in December.