Bold Tarris Reed Jr. move guarantees Spurs get rid of two benchwarmers

Spurs fans wanted the front office to be aggressive in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, and they were, but not in the way we thought. Brian Wright traded their 35th pick in the second round for the right to take Tarris Reed Jr. at 26. Jayden Quaintance had already been selected by the Silver and Black, so doubling down on big men means a couple of last year's bench players won't be back.

Here's looking at you, Kelly Olynyk and Mason Plumlee. There's always a chance Bismack Biyombo could also be gone, but the coaches and players really seem to like the Nigerian center. He could end up playing a Udonis Haslem role at this rate. The Miami Heat legend was mostly on the roster to be the veteran voice and keep the locker room in check toward the end of his career.

San Antonio doesn't need Plumlee or Olynyk for those roles, though. So they should be on their way out.

Tarris Reed Jr. makes two veteran bigs expendable

To be clear, Quaintance also contributes to this reality, but it's undecided whether or not he'll play in the upcoming season and, if he does, how much. The 18-year-old defensive force is still recovering from the knee injury that sidelined him for his sophomore campaign at Kentucky. But Reed will be ready to go on day one.

Plumdog Millionaire and Kelly O are free agents. The Spurs brought them in last season for their veteran experience, but there was also an expectation that they'd actually play basketball. Mitch Johnson tried both guys out in a few different lineups at various points in the season, but nothing really worked with them.

As a result, they ended up firmly planted to their spots on the bench, other than the occasional referee massaging Olynyk was doing during the postseason during timeouts. It was appreciated, but Spurs Nation would much rather have someone who could make an impact on the floor.

They got that in Reed, and he will play. San Antonio didn't jump back into the first round to watch him sit behind guys they didn't trust in the postseason.

Reed brings exactly what the Spurs were missing

The UConn standout will walk into the building on the first day and provide physicality, rebounding, interior toughness, and energy. This is a rim-protecting, perimeter-switching monster. Reed helped lead the Huskies deep in the NCAA Tournament and even posted a historic stat line on his way there.

His 31 points and 27 rebounds were the first 30-point, 25-rebound performance during March Madness since Elvin Hayes in 1968. He did that without a three-point shot. Tarris is not a marksman, and he needs work from the free-throw line. That's completely okay when you're relentless in other areas.

San Antonio entered the offseason desperately needing more frontcourt depth, athleticism, and physicality. They solved that by trading back into the first round and drafting at 26, while simultaneously signaling the end for Olynyk and Plumlee. Reed is here now, and he's the future.

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