With the San Antonio Spurs having an eye towards their future, it's difficult to envision them being strong players for the best players in free agency this coming offseason. The Spurs have plenty of areas they must improve for them to come close to being a playoff-caliber team once more, as evidenced by their groan inducing -10.4 net rating this season.

Thus, there are no Hail Mary moves available to them that will drastically alter the franchise's fortunes. Even if they manage to add a player of James Harden or Kyrie Irving's caliber, it will be unreasonable to expect the Spurs to turn things around quickly given how lacking their roster is in star power.

Therefore, it's looking like the Spurs will be looking to unearth some hidden gems, facilitate the career revivals of some former lottery picks who have failed to match expectations, and, perhaps, be the new home to a discontented young player who's looking to boost his value in a favorable scenario (think Jerami Grant signing with the Detroit Pistons in 2020 to become the number one option).

With that in mind, here are three free agents that the Spurs could target as they try to slowly rebuild their team back to its former glory.

Cameron Johnson

Cameron Johnson has definitely come a long way from the player scouts flagged for his injury potential back in the 2019 NBA Draft. Four years later, Johnson has proven his worth as a player with one of the most coveted skillsets in the league, the ability to defend multiple positions at 6'8, all the while being a knockdown shooter from deep.

Johnson then ended up being a huge piece in the deal that brought Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, and now, the 27-year old forward is taking on a larger offensive responsibility with aplomb, not suffering too much of an efficiency drop-off even with his increased shooting opportunities.

The rub, of course, is that Johnson is a restricted free agent for the Nets; so try as the Spurs might, they will have difficulties prying away the sweet-shooting forward from Brooklyn. The Nets have tons of reasons to keep Johnson, the least important of which is to protect the trade value of one of the biggest assets they received in the Durant trade.

As for the Spurs' side of things, it's clear why they would covet the services of Johnson. The Spurs need as much talent as they can get, given how dire the foundation of their roster is outside of Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and, perhaps, Zach Collins. Moreover, they rank just 25th in the NBA in three-point percentage as a team, and the forward out of UNC will do wonders for them in that regard.

Johnson should command a four-year contract in the $80 million range, but given his upward trajectory and his fit in today's NBA, the Spurs should have no hesitations trying to sign him to that offer sheet.

Austin Reaves

Speaking of players that have come a long way, Austin Reaves has stepped up in recent months, becoming a more consistent scorer by virtue of his improved ability to get to the foul line and his improved efficiency from beyond the arc. As a result, he has earned a promotion to the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup amid their push for a playoff berth following such a languid start to the season.

And there's no better time for Reaves to play as well as he has, for he would be entering free agency, albeit as a restricted one, in a few months' time. However, the Lakers are limited in what they can offer Reaves from the onset, which could mean that the undrafted guard out of Oklahoma looks elsewhere to try and make as much money as he could by signing an offer sheet. Even Reaves has acknowledged this possibility.

While many expect the Lakers to pony up whatever contract Reaves ends up commanding, the Spurs could make it a tricky proposition for a franchise that has stood in their way in the postseason many times before.

The Spurs, in this scenario, will be betting on more improvements from Reaves in a bigger role — perhaps even as the lead ballhandler, should San Antonio end up not taking a point guard in the 2023 NBA Draft. But given how rapidly Reaves has expanded his game, that may not be too bad of a bet.

Donte DiVincenzo

Donte DiVincenzo, who has played a huge role mostly off the Golden State Warriors' bench, has a $4.7 million player option for next season, so it's not a guarantee that he ends up being a free agent. But given his inspired play as of late, it's likely that DiVincenzo tests his value on the market and ends up commanding a deal closer to that of the full value of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

In that case, the Spurs should be adding the versatile DiVincenzo, a player who has given the Warriors a viable point of attack defender even as their team defense has crumbled all season long. While DiVincenzo won't end up moving the needle too much, he could then end up being a valuable trade asset that drives a bidding war among teams looking for guard reinforcements around the 2024 NBA trade deadline.