Top 5 Phone Calls Spurs Should Make After Landing Wembanyama
The Spurs landed the luck ping pong ball and now own the rights to franchise-altering big man Victor Wembanyama. The NBA is by far the hardest sport to be a general manager in. Only half the battle is complete and that’s all based on luck. Now comes the hard part.
How do the Spurs build a championship caliber roster around Wembanyama? Better yet, let’s isolate it even further. Here are the top five phone calls the Spurs should make after the 2023 NBA Lottery drawing.
5: Gregg Popovich
Yes, this should be the Spurs’ first call made by RC Buford. Maybe they already have the answer to this question. How long does Popovich want to keep coaching for? We know that Pop is basically on the Bill Belichick plan. He has his job until he doesn’t want to work anymore.
Still, Pop is 74 and in recent years has sounded like an old man yelling at clouds. Is the succession plan ready? If not, maybe it should be.
4: Find Taker For Zach Collins
If you take a look at the contract for Zach Collins, it’s basically one year remaining for $7.7 million. It’s also a non-gauranteed contract that becomes guaranteed on June 28th. Collins has taken strides but he should be moved.
It’s the perfect contract to flip to a contender that can either cut bait at no cost or keep him in favor of a different bad deal. Given Collins’ injury history, I’d move on while he still has value. Wemby also takes his role in the starting lineup as that tall floor spacer. It should be a way for the Spurs to collect a future asset. There is no rush on this Wemby thing. Collect while you still can.
3: Daryl Morey
There are two obvious cap dumps that could happen this offseason. With James Harden expected to sign with the Rockets this offseason, Philadelphia could look to make seismic changes. Tobias Harris has one year remaining on that ridiculous max contract he signed a few years ago. How desperate is Philly to get rid of it? In reality, they should be. Tyrese Maxey has to be paid and if they don’t get things squared away this offseason, it will be too late. Something to keep in mind.
2: Hachimama’s agent
It is a poor free agent class. Not many guys worth paying an arm and a leg for on the market. San Antonio should be wise and creative with their cap space. Find one or two guys that are worth landing as foundational pieces around the new star they have.
The Lakers are going to have tough decisions to make. Can they really match contracts for Austin Reaves AND Rui Hachimura? I think we all threw a fit when the Lakers landed Hachimura for pennies on the dollar. Rui has come a long way on the defensive end and has always been able to score. He’s the perfect 6-foot-8 guy to put in the starting lineup next to Wemby for the next five years. Throw an offer sheet in there the Lakers can’t match. Not saying the Spurs have to go crazy but prioritize a guy for the long haul they see as a fit. Rui makes a lot of sense in this poor free agent class. The former Gonzaga product is just 24 and his best basketball is ahead of him.
1: Matt Ishbia
New owner syndrome is real. The early return on Ishbia are negative. Well, should be anyway. Kevin Durant is one of the greatest players in NBA history, but they totally overpaid for the 34-year-old version. The decision to cave on giving up Mikal Bridges instead of Deandre Ayton might have cost them a title.
Now the Suns are going to try to dump Ayton and CP3 this offseason. Take advantage. If you can grab extra assets for taking on CP3, you do it. Especially since he would be a great mentor early on for Wemby. Ishbia acts desperate in everything he’s done thus far.
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