The Spurs don’t need Jonathan Isaac to be a star to make this move worth kicking around. They need him to be available, cheap, and still capable of wrecking possessions the way he once did in Orlando. That’s why the idea has real bite: San Antonio could take a low-risk swing on a 6-foot-10 defender with elite tools and try to turn him into another piece of a defense-first machine.
Isaac was waived by the Orlando Magic, and his stock has fallen because injuries have kept him from ever fully cashing in on the promise that made him such an intriguing prospect in the first place. But the raw defensive profile is still easy to see.
He’s got the height, a 7-foot-2 wingspan, and the quickness to bother all kinds of scorers. He was drafted for that kind of impact, and when he was on the floor, the difference showed up.
“Magic owned a 106.1 defensive rating with him on the floor last season, compared to a 113.7 defensive rating with him off the court,” Zach Bachar wrote for Bleacher Report.
That kind of swing is exactly why he still makes sense as a bargain target. The Spurs wouldn’t be betting on Jonathan Isaac to anchor everything or carry a heavy load. This would be a buy-low move, the sort of luxury addition that gives Mitch Johnson another switchable defender to deploy when the game calls for it.
The offense is the obvious problem. Isaac has never developed much there, and last season was rough even by his standards: 3 points and 3 rebounds per game on 42% shooting from the field and 18% from 3-point range.
But San Antonio wouldn’t be bringing him in for buckets. The value would come from his ability to defend multiple positions, help on the glass, and widen Johnson’s lineup options off the bench.
And the Spurs have room to take the shot. Lindy Waters III, Jordan McLaughlin, Kelly Olynyk, and Mason Plumlee were all stuck collecting dust when the games mattered most, and all four are expected to be gone.
That opens the door for San Antonio to try a flier on Isaac at almost no cost. If it doesn’t work, he can simply sit, just like those other bench pieces did.
If it does work, though, the payoff is obvious. Add even a trimmed-down version of Isaac’s old defensive impact to a group with Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs suddenly have a lineup that could smother teams from every angle. If Isaac gets back to even 80% of what he used to be defensively, that’s a problem for the rest of the league.
In Other News...
Spurs Linked To Veteran Frontcourt Move That Would Change Everything Around Wemby
The Spurs are still looking for ways to strengthen the roster around Victor Wembanyama, and one name that keeps surfacing in league chatter is John Collins. San Antonios cap flexibility gives it room to explore a move like that, and the idea is obvious enough on paper: add another frontcourt piece who can ease some of the burden on Wembanyama while the franchise keeps building toward a more complete lineup.
Chicago is also regularly mentioned as a team in the mix, which only adds to the sense that this could become one of the more watched veteran frontcourt situations of the offseason. The fit question is the real sticking point for San Antonio, though, because Collins shooting has been inconsistent and his rim protection has not always matched the demands of pairing with a big like Wembanyama. [Read more 🡒]
Keldon Johnson Suddenly Finds Himself At The Center Of A Spurs Decision
Keldon Johnsons place in San Antonio has become one of the more interesting personnel questions of the summer. After winning Sixth Man of the Year, he is still heading into the final year of his contract, and the Spurs now have to decide whether they want to commit to him long term once the moratorium ends on July 6. For a player who has been part of the teams core through a transitional stretch, the timing makes this more than a routine extension talk.
The issue is not just about reward, either. Johnsons game has been uneven enough that the Spurs have real reason to weigh their options, and his future says a lot about where they think the roster is headed. If the front office decides to move cautiously, it would fit with a team trying to balance development, lineup fit, and a few new pieces that could change how much room Johnson has in the frontcourt rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Leonard Rumor Just Pulled The Spurs Back Into Focus
A Kawhi Leonard ripple can still pull the Spurs back into the conversation, even years after he left. Leonards name is once again tied to San Antonio in a way that matters, because any hint about where he would be willing to go next inevitably reopens old questions about what the Spurs mean in the leagues larger star map. For a franchise that has spent the past several seasons building forward, that kind of unexpected relevance is hard to ignore.
The bigger picture is what makes this feel worth watching. Toronto and the Clippers have been in real discussions about a possible Leonard move, and the deal mechanics are messy enough to shape the rest of the market around it, from the salary being sent out to the picks and young players both sides might have to weigh. Add in the Clippers youth movement and the cloud hanging over their cap situation, and the Spurs suddenly find themselves adjacent to a storyline that could still take another turn before it settles. [Read more 🡒]