After a phenomenal rookie campaign, San Antonio Spurs Star Victor Wembanyama has significantly accelerated the team’s rebuilding schedule. The Frenchman was selected number 1 overall in the 2023 NBA draft after being the most hyped-up prospect since LeBron James 20 years prior. Wembanyama finished with averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Wembanyama also put up impressive numbers on the defensive side of the court as he led the league with 3.6 blocks while compiling 1.2 steals a game. With the young star living up to expectations so far, it’s time for the San Antonio Spurs to put a competitive team around one of the league's future stars.
The Spurs posted a record of 22-60 finishing 14th in the Western Conference. With that, the Spurs now have the 4th overall pick, along with the 8th overall pick (via Raptors), and could also add some much-needed experience that this Spurs team was lacking last year with the league’s youngest-ranked squad with an average age of 23.52. With the Spurs projected to have around $25 million in cap space this summer here are four free agents the Spurs should target to add to the team going into Wembanyana’s sophomore year.
1. Kyle Anderson returns to the Spurs
The Spurs are no stranger to Kyle Anderson as the team selected Anderson with the 30th overall pick back in the 2014 NBA draft. From 2014 to 2018 Anderson was a constant presence in the Spurs rotation until leaving for Memphis in 2018. The 6’9 forward would bring a much-needed playmaker to the team. Anderson now with the Minnesota Timberwolves played a key role in coming off the bench for the contending Timberwolves. Anderson posted averages of 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 46.4% from the field. Anderson would now return to the Spurs 6 years later at the age of 31, taking up more of a veteran role while providing much-needed playmaking off the bench and adding another playmaker to pair with Wembanyama. 2. Spurs add one of the league’s best shooters
Buddy Hield ever since entering the league out of Oklahoma has been considered one of the league's best shooters so much so that the Los Angeles Lakers were willing to give up key role players in a trade that broke down back in 2021. Hield, a career 40% three-point shooter, hasn’t shot lower than 36.9 % from behind the arc. He also has four seasons where he shot 40% or higher from behind the arc. Adding Hield would instantly improve the Spurs from a team aspect as the team ranked 28th in three-point percentage with an average of 34.7%. 3. Spurs get their glue guy
We all remember Bruce Brown's role in helping the Denver Nuggets win the 2023 NBA Championship. Brown, a solid defender with the versatility to guard three positions on the perimeter, would bring championship experience that the league's youngest squad desperately lacks. Having started the season with the Pacers and eventually being dealt away to the Raptors as a part of the Pascal Siakam trade, Brown posted averages of 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Brown is the hustle player that every championship-caliber team would need. We have seen him excel in that role before and if the Spurs want to start competing then Brown is the perfect fit. 4. Spurs add cheap veteran option
The Spurs are looking to add as many pieces around Wembanyana as possible to try to compete, and adding a cheap and more experienced veteran player in Royce O’Neale would do the job. The forward can guard multiple positions and has playoff experience with his previous stops in Utah, Brooklyn, and Phoenix. At 6’6, O’Neale is well-equipped to play in small-ball lineups that we often see in today’s NBA. Coming off a season where he posted a stat line of 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists a game while shooting a career-low 39.0 from the field. Although after a midseason trade that landed him on the Phoenix Suns quickly saw his shooting percentage go up to 41.1% to finish the season.
With the Spurs now having a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, it's important to build a solid mix of players that can affect the game on different levels not only on the court but be leaders for this young team off the court. Adding these four players will bring an entirely different feel to the Spurs organization as we sit back and watch the unanimously voted Rookie of The Year winner help return this Spurs organization to the glory days back when the big fundamental Tim Duncan was roaming the halls.
I’d love to see Anderson back on the Spurs.
give sir Jabari 40 minutes a game