Could it be that the San Antonio Spurs greatest strength during NBA Free Agency has also served as a weakness?
Hard to follow?
Let's explain. The free agent signing of Chris Paul and a trade for Harrison Barnes that also came with future first round draft picks were widely met with applause, and rightfully so. Yet it's easy to forget that at different points throughout the offseason, the Silver and Black have been linked to All-Stars such as Lauri Markkanan, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, and Darius Garland among others. Each of those players are more productive than Paul or Barnes at this point of their careers.
It's important to note that free agency isn't over, but as of now, San Antonio's lack of adding another major scorer sticks out.
What the Spurs may have missed out on
Though Devin Vassell averaged nearly 20 points per game last season, the Spurs labored through a 22-60 campaign as the team welcomed generational talent Victor Wembanyama. Lack of star talent outside of Wemby affected San Antonio in 2023-2024. In choosing to sign Paul for more than $11 million and trading for Barnes, who's set to make $18 million in the coming year, the Spurs haven't added a second dynamic scorer behind Wemby.
“We start that stuff in training camp,” Paul answered following a chuckle when asked if the team could make a playoff run this coming season.
“I'm not here to say we're going to do this or do that. I think we've all got to get together and make sure that we understand what our goals are and what we're going to do to try to help each other get there,” Paul admitted when asked about short-term expectations.
A Chris Paul/Harrison Barnes 1-2 punch
As the team's two biggest additions, Paul and Barnes look forward to having each other – no matter who else may join the roster.
“I'm excited. I've done a basketball camp for years and Harrison came to camp some years ago,” Paul said of his new teammate. “That's when I first got to know him. It was cool to talk to him on the flight [to San Antonio]. I know how good Harrison is, I know how determined and committed he is to being the best version of himself. I'm excited to try to put all this together.”
“Just seeing the work that I do at 32 and the work he does at a little bit older, I won't say his age, but a little older,” Barnes said, “You see what it takes to continue to come out here and play every single night.”
While these two newest Spurs have an eye on each other, they've got another on the team's core.
“Hopefully those tips can be passed on, those practices can be passed on to a lot of these younger guys coming into this league with three or four years of experience, how they can build and continue to hopefully play a long number of games for their long careers.”
Whether he's one or two, there's no doubt Barnes is part of the Spurs big off-season combination. However, given all the other big names this team was linked to at different points of the offseason, it's fair to wonder whether there were some bigger moves that San Antonio left on the table over the past few weeks.
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