The Spurs may be content to run it back with much of the same group, but that doesn’t mean the roster is closed for business.
San Antonio has enough talent to justify another look at this core after making the NBA Finals, and if the team decides it needs a jolt by the trade deadline, there should be no shortage of options. One name that keeps popping up as a strong fit is Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington.
Washington checks a lot of boxes for what the Spurs are trying to build. He can guard all five spots and space the floor when the shot is there, which makes him the kind of wing-sized piece that can plug holes without demanding the ball.
That’s why one writer pointed to him as a possible target in a deal that would involve Harrison Barnes.
“San Antonio signed Harris to fill a need at power forward, but he wouldn’t be the first veteran that couldn’t find a fit on a new roster. Harris only got a two-year deal.
If things aren’t working out, the Spurs could quickly look to flip him. Ideal target: PJ Washington
“Washington is just starting a four-year, $88.7 million contract and has been in trade rumors given Dallas’ glut of forwards. They have Cooper Flagg and just extended Naji Marshall. Dallas could look to move on Washington to better balance out their roster,” Tyler Watts wrote.
A straight Barnes-for-Washington swap would not be enough on its own, but San Antonio has the draft-pick ammunition to build a deal if it decides Washington is the right swing.
In Other News...
Spurs Saw This Coming With Wemby Long Before Everyone Else
Before Victor Wembanyama became the face of the Spurs future, San Antonio had already spent years treating him like a once-in-a-generation project. Coach Mitch Johnson even made a point of visiting Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald to talk through the 7-foot-4 French star, a reminder of how widely the organization has been thinking about Wembanyamas impact and how to maximize it. Brian Wright and R.C. Buford have both reflected on the work that went into identifying him as a teenager, and on the strategic moves that helped put San Antonio in position to draft him.
Now the payoff is visible on the floor, with Wembanyama having already carried the Spurs to the NBA Finals in his first postseason while collecting Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA First Team honors along the way. What makes the story especially interesting from San Antonios side is how early the club seems to have understood the scale of what it was getting, and how much of the next chapter still depends on how they keep building around him. [Read more 🡒]
Victor Wembanyama Could Unlock The Spurs Offense In A Huge Way
The Spurs already showed one clear offensive wrinkle last season: when Victor Wembanyama was involved as a roll man in pick-and-roll action, the floor started to tilt in San Antonios favor. That mattered because the team had real corner shooting to lean on, with Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie helping turn those looks into a reliable weapon. When Wembanyama forces defenses to collapse, the ball tends to find cleaner shots on the perimeter.
What makes this so intriguing for next season is how much more pressure San Antonio could apply if it commits even harder to those rolls to the basket. Wembanyamas size and gravity can drag extra defenders into the paint, and that is exactly the kind of attention that can turn corner shooters into finishers. If the Spurs can keep feeding that action, their offense may have a simple but dangerous way to become much harder to guard. [Read more 🡒]