The San Antonio Spurs' season is now over and they will now turn their attention to the offseason. While many Spurs fans are hoping for a blockbuster season with them making a major trade to acquire a star point guard such as Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, or Dejounte Murray, a new report suggests otherwise. Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst suggested that the Spurs may plan to build slowly around their new franchise centerpiece, Victor Wembanyama.
“[Which player] in the league is going to see the lay of the land?”
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) April 13, 2024
@WindhorstESPN shares his thoughts with @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8 on the possibility of another star joining Wembanyama. pic.twitter.com/uZXrtP9ucL
If true, that would be a major surprise and possibly even a mistake, given how well Wembanyama played this season. Building an immediate contender around a 20-year-old star player is virtually unprecedented but so is he. Not only that, but the Spurs have plenty of assets needed to potentially make a major trade this off-season.
Should the Spurs lay low and build or go all-in this summer?
The Spurs will potentially have two top-10 picks in this year's draft and could have as many as three firsts in the 2025 draft. That would be a point in the column for building slowly. After all, they have Chicago's top 10 protected first in 2025, which is also top 8 protected in 2026 and 2027, as well as Atlanta's unprotected first in 2025 and 2027 with a 2026 pick swap.
On the other hand, the Spurs can't use all of those picks since they have all of their own firsts as well as Chicago's, Charlotte's, and Toronto's plus two from Atlanta. Consolidating some of those extra picks and turning them into stars like Mitchell, Young, or Murray would help them in the near future. It could also allowing them to keep their firsts to improve through the draft or use them for future deals.
The Spurs already seem to have quite a few puzzle pieces in place, with Devin Vassell set as their starting shooting guard and Jeremy Sochan as their starting four alongside Wembanyama. Julian Champagnie is fine as a low-minute starter; 2022 first-round picks Blake Wesley and Malaki Branham could be a nice backup backcourt going forward and Cedi Osman is young enough to be brought back as a second unit spark.
Additionally, Sandro Mamukelashvili looks like a good backup power forward who plays well with Wembanyama, and Zach Collins has played much better over the second half of the season.
The Spurs even have cheaper backup center options in Charles Bassey and Dom Barlow if Collins and Keldon Johnson are needed to match salary in a deal for a star. For a 22-win team, there are a lot of capable players who could get better as Wembanyama improves himself and if the Spurs upgrade at point guard.
Ultimately, San Antonio has a promising young roster with a superstar in waiting. They also have the assets needed to pursue a star and they shouldn't wait to pair Wembanyama with another great player.