2 Spurs who are part of the core, 2 they can afford to lose

The San Antonio Spurs are finally in the era they have been waiting for since the retirement of Tim Duncan and the departure of Kawhi Leonard. Once again, they have their unquestioned franchise cornerstone in Victor Wembanyama.

They may not have had to wait around in a rebuilding phase for as long as some other teams, but simply having a place to start once again is a fantastic feeling for the entire Spurs organization. As the franchise moves forward and begins figuring out how to win again, there seems to be some confusion among the fanbase about who is an essential piece on this team and who is expednable.

Here, we will break down two Spurs players who are unquestionably part of the long-term core, along with three others who they can afford to part ways with either now or later.

Part of the core - Victor Wembanyama

We will start with the most obvious one first. It goes without saying that Victor Wembanyama is the most important player on this roster and will be until he retires. He is already the best player on the Spurs' roster.

Wemby's unreal combination of size and skill make him a menace both offensively and defensively. He is the favorite for the Rookie Of The Year award, and this is the worst version of Victor we will ever see.

His ceiling is as close to limitless as you can get. San Antonio could waive their entire roster besides Vic and sign 14 players from the G League, and there would still be reason for optimism. As the Spurs look to contend in the Western Conference for the next two decades, they will do it on the back of Victor Wembanyama.

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Can afford to lose - Jeremy Sochan

Perhaps the player on San Antonio's roster with the most variance in how he is viewed, Jeremy Sochan has been an extremely solid player in his 1.5 seasons with the Spurs. He has demonstrated his above average passing, court vision and defense, and has shown why he can absolutely have a role on this team for years to come.

But while his unique skillset is highly intriguing in the long term as well as useful in the here and now, it would be a stretch to say that the Spurs could not afford to lose Sochan going forward. Simply put, offensive gravity matters in the NBA, and Jeremy has not demonstrated enough proficiency on that end of the floor to earn himself the label of untouchable.

As previously stated, the only player on San Antonio's roster that can truly be set aside as a franchise cornerstone is Victor Wembanyama. That is just by nature of the fact that we can truly say he has All-NBA (and even best in the world) potential.

Sochan's role as a passer, defender, and general offensive connector is a valuable one. His contributions to this team are palpable, and the Spurs should do their best to keep him around. But if push comes to shove, San Antonio could find success without him, too.

Part of the core - Devin Vassell

While I stand by my argument that Victor Wembanyama is the only Spurs player that can never truly be considered expendable, Devin Vassell is the only other player on the roster that would fall into the category of a core player at the current juncture.

Yes, Vassell could be moved for the right price in the future. But as of right now, he is the second-best player in San Antonio and is crucial to the team's success. Much of what the Spurs do rides on Vassell and his on-ball creation abilities.

Devin has done an excellent job this season of keeping pace with his breakout third season in 2022-23. He has had his moments of inconsistency, and certain aspects of his game like his shot selection can still be cleaned up. But overall, he would be by far the best player in the Spurs' locker room if Wemby did not exist.

That alone makes him a cornerstone for the team right now. Now, the NBA is a business and acquiring top-level talent often means parting ways with beloved home-grown talent like Vassell. Best believe that if the Spurs are presented with such an opportunity to put an All-NBA caliber player next to Victor, they will do so with swiftness.

Can afford to lose - Keldon Johnson

Another player with plenty of varying opinion around him from the Spurs fanbase is Keldon Johnson. After being drafted at the tail end of the first round in the 2019 draft, Keldon joined a Spurs team that was still a psuedo-contender with players like DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge on the roster.

Enjoying a mini-breakout for the Spurs during the bubble in 2020, many became excited about Keldon's potential going forward. And for good reason. He was a lengthy, hot-shooting wing that could do a lot of different things on the court. With San Antonio hoping to compete for a playoff or play-in spot the next year, he looked to be one of the main catalysts for their push.

As time wore on and Dejounte Murray was traded, Keldon ended up as the team's leading scorer in 2022-23, putting up 22 points per game. The excitement was reaching an all-time high. But now, we are seeing that Johnson has in all likelihood reached his peak as a player already. Moving back to the bench, Keldon's numbers have regressed a bit.

In the grand scheme of things, Johnson is a great supporting player, but he is not a game-changing star, and that is okay. In the end, the exact players that can be put around Victor Wembanyama to make the Spurs a winner is relatively flexible. Keldon can still have a fantastic career when things are all said and done, but San Antonio will not be losing sleep if they wake up one day and he is no longer on the roster.