The San Antonio Spurs are making another move with an eye on development, signing 6’6” guard Stanley Umude to a two-way contract. To make room, the team waived guard Kyle Mangas, who had been on a two-way deal himself since earlier this month.
While Mangas didn’t log any NBA minutes during his brief stint, he saw solid action with the Austin Spurs in the G League. Over 11 games, he averaged 16.5 points and 5.0 assists per contest, and shot a respectable 39.3% from beyond the arc. It was a productive showing, but the Spurs are shifting gears toward a player who’s already shown flashes at the NBA level.
Enter Umude, a name Spurs fans might recognize from training camp. He initially signed with San Antonio this past offseason but was waived before the regular season began to make roster space for veteran big man Bismack Biyombo. Instead of heading elsewhere, Umude stuck around with the Austin Spurs-and made the most of his opportunity.
In 11 G League games, Umude looked every bit the part of a player knocking on the NBA’s door. He averaged 20.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game while launching nearly eight threes a night and hitting them at a 39.5% clip. That kind of volume and efficiency from deep is hard to ignore, especially for a team like San Antonio that’s building around spacing and versatility.
This isn’t Umude’s first NBA rodeo either. He’s appeared in 47 games across his career, including 22 last season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Prior to that, he logged time with the Detroit Pistons, where he averaged 5.3 points in just under 13 minutes per game during the 2023-24 season. He’s shown he can hold his own at the next level, and now he’ll get another chance to prove it in San Antonio.
The Spurs are expected to keep Umude around for the rest of the season, giving him time to carve out a role and potentially earn a longer look. For a team focused on developing talent and finding hidden gems, this move fits the mold. Umude brings size, shooting, and experience-three things that could help him stick in a young, evolving rotation.