While the draft and potential trades are how many expect the San Antonio Spurs to build around Victor Wembanyama, NBA free agency provides another avenue. When you include the financial allotments that will come with the fourth and eighth picks of the draft, the Silver and Black could have between $19 and a half million and $21 and half million in salary cap space depending on decisions they make with their own free agents and players on non-guaranteed contracts.
Cedi Osman, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Dominick Barlow are the club's free agents, Osman is unrestricted while the latter two are restricted. David Duke, Jr. is on a two-way contract while the team has contract options for Devonte' Graham, Julian Champagnie and Charles Bassey. Jamaree Bouyea and RaiQuan Gray are also on two-way deals with the affiliated G League Club in Austin.
Considering these specifics, here are three free agents the Spurs could target this summer.
DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan recently shared a story about how Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich consoled him, crying with the then Spur for a couple of hours the night his father died. It reminds of how special the veteran free agent's relationship is with the winningest coach in NBA history. Three of the six-time All-Star's 15 seasons have come in the Alamo City and though they were among his lowest scoring years, his biggest San Antonio sin is that he wasn't Kawhi Leonard. In coming over as part of that trade, DeRozan was good enough to keep the Spurs afloat as they made the playoffs as a seven seed before qualifying for a couple of Play-In Tournaments. Thing is, the summer before DeRozan arrived the Spurs had advanced to the Western Conference Finals in a season that's been their last as a force in the league.
A return to San Antonio would provide a much different role for the Chicago Bulls guard. He wouldn't need to carry the load. With Wemby now in the Leonard role, DeRozan could provide another 20 point per game threat alongside Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, who just averaged a career high 19.5 this past season.
Estimates suggest DeRozan could command north of $30 million dollars per season over his next contract. If the Spurs decide to approach this summer as cap space team, which they very well might, they’d have access to the room exception of $8 million. Add that to the $21 million they could already have available based on other decisions and they'd be in the ballpark with a contract offer that could be front loaded.
Obi Toppin and Buddy Hield
Buddy Hield is an unrestricted free agent. Obi Toppin is restricted. Both are worth a look, especially considering what the Spurs can give.
Hield is coming off a season in which he fell out of the Philadelphia 76ers rotation in the playoffs, despite shooting 43.6% from the field and 38.6% from the three-point range in 84 games. The eight-year guard made $23.5 million last season for a squad that's got several of it's own free agent priorities.
Toppin, who played well in spots vs. Wemby this season, could be the odd forward out for an Indiana Pacers franchise that doesn't want to lose the recently acquired Pascal Siakam to free agency. Coming off a rookie contract that paid him just south of $7 million this season, Toppin averaged around 10 and half and four rebounds through this past year, including a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
With free agency set to officially start next month, don't be surprised if any of these names make their way to San Antonio.
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