3 Bold predictions for Spurs' 2022 offseason

Expect the San Antonio Spurs to be very active this offseason, continuing a recent trend that dates back to last summer. From August 2021 to now, the Spurs have made a staggering seven trades in just nine months after making only three between 2016 and 2020. 

That change in approach coincides with San Antonio beginning a rebuild, and the front office has been aggressive in stockpiling assets and clearing out cap space.

That rebuild got a shot in the arm with the emergence of Dejounte Murray, who put together a historic season and established himself as the team’s best player. The Spurs now have an All-Star to build around, and the front office could look to use several of those acquired assets to do just that. Now, let's look at three bold Spurs offseason predictions for how it could happen.

Prediction #1: The Spurs let Lonnie Walker walk

Spurs guard Lonnie Walker had quite the contract season, but not in the way most had hoped. He mainly continued to underperform but also showed some impressive flashes during the second half of the season.

Unfortunately, his hot streak was derailed by an injury that kept him from fully proving himself to both the Spurs and other teams. Therefore, I suspect that he won't be back next season, and the 2022 NBA Draft gives the Spurs the perfect opportunity to replace him.

There are several candidates that could fill Walker's role as an offensive spark off the bench, including Ben Mathurin and Johnny Davis. Both players would be a potential upgrade on the wing. Even if they don’t replace him in the draft, they could with existing players on the roster. Joshua Primo could step into that role, but he'd have to make a big leap in his second season to do so.

That's not impossible, but Tre Jones and Primo together are better equipped to replace Walker considering that Jones is a more consistent playmaker while Primo projects to be a much better shooter. As a result, the Spurs could let Walker leave this offseason knowing that they have ways to replace him.