After Chris Paul Addition, Who Else Could San Antonio Spurs Pursue in Free Agency?

Since Paul George finalized his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, the NBA free agency period has rapidly progressed as more players are starting to agree to new contracts.

While the San Antonio Spurs haven’t been big players thus far, it did sign an all-time great in Chris Paul to a 1yr/$11M contract. Even if the 39-year-old is reaching the end of his illustrious career, his unparalleled offensive IQ and playmaking will be immense in helping develop Victor Wembanyama’s game even more. A primary goal of the offseason was to make the reigning Rookie of the Year’s life easier, and Paul can certainly make an impact there. 

READ MORE: What Do San Antonio Spurs’ Qualifying Offers Mean?

There’s plenty of room for the Spurs to make additions before the offseason is over though. Getting at least one more piece could help their efforts in making a playoff push next year, whether that be through free agency or a trade. Star players are potentially available across the league, and even high-impact role players would be beneficial in expanding the roster’s depth. 

San Antonio has some decisions to make as the days move forward, but there’s no shortage of options available for the taking. 

Here are three players the Spurs could still add:

Due to the historic asking price the Utah Jazz have reportedly set on Lauri Markkanen, the idea of San Antonio making a push for the 7-footer has seemed unlikely.

That is, until rumors of the interest spread across the NBA that it was one of the teams actively pursuing the star forward.

The idea of Markkanen as a Spur is obviously an exciting one. He would slide in at the power forward position perfectly alongside Wembanyama, making for quite possibly the best frontcourt pairing in the entire league. Adding his shot-making ability and elite floor-spacing would be a tremendous boost to their offense, which was severely lacking last season. 

READ MORE: Would Spurs Go In On Lauri Markkanen Deal With Jazz?

It’ll take a pretty penny to pry the 27-year-old away from the Jazz, so San Antonio may be wary of giving away a significant portion of its future. The timeline it has revolves around a 20-year-old, so it doesn’t have to rush to start winning immediately. With players like Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson continuing to develop, alongside a draft class headlined by Stephon Castle, it might be better to avoid franchise-altering moves for right now.

Mar 31, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (center) sits on the bench before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

If Markkanen’s name continues to be involved in trade talks, the Spurs should remain a team invested in the conversation. If the conversations don’t go anywhere they still have the hope that he remains an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but that’s always a risk.

Sticking with Utah, Horton-Tucker is a far more realistic option for San Antonio to take away from its roster.

The 23-year-old has yet to really find his place in the NBA, starting with the Los Angeles Lakers for three years before transitioning to the Jazz for the last two. He averaged a solid 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 19.8 minutes per game last season, but struggled to score the ball efficiently with 39.6/33/80.7 percent shooting splits. 

Horton-Tucker is still a solid enough player to deserve another contract. He’s still at a young enough age where he has a chance to develop his game further, and the Spurs could be a team that allows him to unlock that. Their backup shooting guard/small forward spots have an opening for a similar amount of playing time as he got in Utah, so he’d certainly get an opportunity to make a name for himself in the rotation.

Apr 11, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker (5) reacts against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Delta Center. / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

READ MORE: Stephon Castle, With Humility, Is Ready For Rookie Season With Spurs

The Chris Paul signing still leaves the Spurs with enough cap room to sign another player around his price tag, which Horton-Tucker would probably fall within. It probably wouldn’t be a long-term deal or much over $10 million annually, but just getting another quality piece for at least a season can help build the team back to a winning culture. 

There hasn’t been much discussion surrounding Horton-Tucker’s free agent market, so San Antonio likely has very little competition if it wants to go out and get him.

It’s just a matter of if it does. 

Although Lopez has been an integral piece of the Milwaukee Bucks core for the past several seasons, the veteran center could be on the move this offseason. 

Lopez is under contract for just one more year, and both sides have yet to agree to a long-term extension. The Spurs are one of the teams reportedly drawing interest in him, which makes a lot of sense in their current position. You’d be hard pressed to find a better big man across the league in helping Wembanyama grow. 

Even at the age of 36-years-old, Lopez still averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 in 30.5 minutes per game on 48.5/36.6/82.1 percent shooting splits. He’s established himself as one of the NBA’s best floor-spacing centers, while keeping the reputation of an elite defensive anchor. The pairing of him and Wembanyama in the front-court?

A defensive nightmare for opposing teams. 

Mar 30, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) prepares for a game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Acquiring “Splash Mountain” would of course have to be done through trade, but a package could certainly be manageable for San Antonio to put together. Milwaukee is still a championship contender so it’d want a rotation piece and potentially low-end draft capital, but because of his age and contract status it may lessen the asking price. 

WATCH: Why the San Antonio Spurs Pursued Chris Paul in Free Agency

The Spurs adding veteran talent in Paul and Lopez would be greatly beneficial for their young roster. Those are two players that have spent plenty of time in the playoffs and have seen nearly every scenario you could think of in basketball, so the potential for learning would be through the roof. 

It’s unclear if the Bucks have completely decided what direction to go with Lopez, but if he’s on the block, San Antonio should make a push for him. 

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Publish date : 2024-07-04 02:04:08

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