Spurs Plot Roster Fixes After Finals Loss to Knicks
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- Spurs lost the NBA Finals to the Knicks in five games after the Thunder had already exposed roster holes in the Western Conference Finals, with the article citing the Knicks' 38-point advantage in Luke Kornet's minutes as evidence of a backup center problem
- Victor Wembanyama publicly endorsed GM Brian Wright's decision to sit out the February trade deadline, saying "we trust the process" and suggesting Wright should win Executive of the Year for restraint — a stance the article says rules out a Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit
- San Antonio's cap situation is currently flexible, with roughly $6M in space (or $20M+ if they trade Keldon Johnson) and the nontaxpayer mid-level exception near $15M, but Wembanyama's max rookie extension kicks in next offseason, making this the last summer of real financial flexibility
- Draft assets include the No. 20 pick this year, Atlanta's unprotected 2027 first-rounder, and four first-round pick swaps between 2028-2031 (Boston 2028, Dallas/Minnesota 2030 option, Sacramento 2031) — described as enough chips "to pursue almost anyone"
- Four roster gaps identified: lack of shooting/spacing (Spurs ranked 14th in 3-point rate and percentage), no traditional power forward (Carter Bryant is 6-6 with raw offense), backup center vulnerability, and too many dead roster spots (Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk, Bismack Biyombo, Lindy Waters III, Jordan McLaughlin) that left Mike Brown able to ride hot bench hands the Spurs couldn't match
- De'Aaron Fox had a "train wreck" Game 4 with bad turnovers and decisions, scored 7 points on 3-of-15 shooting in Game 5, and the article notes the Spurs didn't know Dylan Harper was coming when they traded for Fox — the source text cuts off mid-sentence noting Fox "was not quite himself after he suffered the"
- The OKC blueprint: the Thunder sat out the 2024 deadline after a Dallas playoff loss, used it for self-evaluation, added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, and won the title a year later — the article explicitly poses whether the Spurs can follow the same path
Why it matters: This is the Spurs' last summer of real financial flexibility before Wembanyama's max rookie extension and Stephon Castle's looming deal reshape the books, with the team sitting roughly $44M below the luxury tax and stockpiled with draft chips. The Finals exposed four addressable roster holes and reignited a Fox-vs-Harper ball-handling question that the article frames as the offseason's biggest single call.
