The San Antonio Spurs have been having a great time this NBA offseason, especially since they ended up with the first overall pick and French phenom Victor Wembanyama. This young franchise seems to be trending in the right direction, but some not so good news came their way from the league office recently.
On Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced that Spurs guard Devonte' Graham has been suspended for two games without pay for pleading guilty to a charge of impaired driving in violation of the law of the state of North Carolina. Graham pleaded guilty to this charge in June and received a 21-day jail sentence before being placed on unsupervised probation for 12 months instead.
The incident occurred back in 2022 when Graham was pulled over early in the morning for going 63 mph in a 40 mph zone. He was taken into custody during this traffic stop after showing signs of being impaired.
Graham, 28, will now miss the first two games of the 2023-24 season for the Spurs, that is assuming he is eligible and able to play. This is also assuming he is still on San Antonio's roster by the start of the season.
Drafted 34th overall in 2018 by the Atlanta Hawks, Graham began his career with the Charlotte Hornets. Emerging as a key scoring weapon on the perimeter, he made a name for himself with the Hornets and he ended up agreeing to a four-year, $47 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2021. Just last season, he was traded to the Spurs, along with four second-round picks, in exchange for veteran Josh Richardson.
He still has two years and roughly $24.7 million remaining on his current contract. The $12.65 million he is owed during the 2024-25 season is partially-guaranteed for only $2.85 million.
The Spurs have always been an organization that prides themselves on character and they have always taken action against players who violate team guidelines. While this incident occurred before Graham's arrival to San Antonio, conversations about whether or not they should keep him will likely occur within the walls of the franchise.
It is worth noting that the Spurs currently have 18 players under contract for next season, not including their training camp and two-way contracts. As a result, they will need to waive a few players before the start of the 2023-24 season. Graham could wind up being a part of roster cuts in San Antonio amid his suspension.
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