The San Antonio Spurs need to evaluate who they sign in free agency as they now have missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons. San Antonio lacked shooting from behind the arc last season, and they need to retool their roster to fit today's NBA, as having a surplus of shooters is never bad in today's game. They enter the offseason with the ability to have around $50 million in cap space, and spending it on players of good quality is a must for them.
The Spurs and Pop are known to find players who are labeled as diamonds in the rough. Legends like Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were drafted in the later rounds of the NBA draft and became one of the best players ever to put on the silver and black jersey. We can say that they really have an eye for talent.
These are the hidden gems that the Spurs should risk it all for this free agency:
Richaun Holmes
Richaun Holmes is very underrated and is actually one of the best rim-running bigs in the game right now. The 6-foot-10 center balled out on his stint with the Sacramento Kings as he averaged 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists to go with 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 63% from the field last season. The 27-year-old is a sparkplug who provides infectious energy to his teammates on the court, someone the Spurs lack. Holmes would definitely turn the intensity up as he always plays with passion and fire.
With a flurry of guards in the Spurs' rotation, Holmes would definitely benefit from this one as he is an excellent complement for good ball handlers and playmakers. The athletic center is known to be a hard roller when playing the pick and roll game.
Josh Hart
The Spurs need a constant three-point threat as they have ranked dead last in 3 point attempts (28.4) and three-pointers made (9.9) last season. Josh Hart is not the best three-point shooter on the free-agent market but is a reliable one and is better among most of the current Spurs players. After shooting 39.6% from behind the arc during his rookie year, the numbers have slightly declined and he is now shooting an average of 34.8%. At one point in college, Josh Hart shot a career-high 46% from downtown. With these numbers, it is very clear what Josh Hart is capable of doing.
San Antonio has a lot of guards who can rebound well, and it happens that Josh Hart is also one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA right now. Last season, he averaged eight rebounds per game even though he came off the bench on most occasions. The Spurs will dominate the glass if they pair him with Dejounte Murray, who is always crashing the boards.
Josh Hart is also a good defensive player that Pop can utilize in his lineup. The 6-foot-5 guard has a 6-foot-8 wingspan that has worked wonders for him when guarding perimeter players.
Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen certainly checks both boxes that the Spurs need–size and shooting. The 7-foot Finnish national is a unicorn that plays both the center and power forward position while draining threes over the outstretched arms of defenders. Last season, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field and 40% on 3-pointers. The sweet-shooting big man will help the Spurs with their spacing and provide the guards enough room to operate and drive their way to the hoop, forcing the opposing bigs to chase Markkanen behind the arc.
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