Offseason Report Card: Spurs get five As, three Bs and two Cs for summer moves

The San Antonio Spurs fully embraced their rebuild in three parts, trading away DeMar DeRozan in the summer of 2021, Derrick White at the following Trade Deadline, and finally Dejounte Murray last offseason. That set the stage for a race to the bottom to give them a chance at a top prospect.

As with most things the Spurs organization attempts they were successful, finishing with just 22 wins and winning the Draft Lottery. From that second, the Spurs and the entire basketball world knew they would draft French phenom Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The intervening six weeks were just a formality.

This offseason wasn't just about drafting Wemby, however. It also mattered how the Spurs were going to act around him. Did they use their cap space and draft assets to try and build an instant winner around Wembanyama? Or would they be patient, using their cap space as a mechanism to add draft capital and give Victor time to develop?

The Spurs clearly took door No. 2, exercising patience. That doesn't mean they were inactive; for from it. They made multiple draft picks, executed a multitude of trades, and re-signed a handful of players.

Let's therefore hand the Spurs a report card, with a letter grade for each of their moves this summer. How did they do? If an "A" is an excellent move, a "B" is worth making, a "C" is questionable and anything worse looks like a mistake, how did the Spurs do?

Let's just say they're likely making honor roll.

Let's go through each move in more detail, starting with the most important move any team made all offseason.

1. Drafted Victor Wembanyama

Drafted French center Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft

In terms of importance to a franchise, no team made a more impactful move this offseason than the Spurs did in drafting Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick. He looks like a generational prospect who could be the league's best defender in short order, with a versatile offensive game to propel him into superstardom.

That doesn't mean Wembanyama is a sure thing; no player ever is (LeBron James, as some sort of cyborg, clearly doesn't count). His jumper could never develop into a weapon, and he could be simply a dependent offensive talent. Still, when your floor as a prospect is Anthony Davis and your upside is Monstar, you're a slam dunk of a draft pick.

Wembanyama may be 7'4" tall (or even slightly taller depending on who you talk to) but he is also very thin, so he will likely start his career at power forward next to a center; on the Spurs, that's likely to be Zach Collins and Dom Barlow. Eventually, the Spurs likely envision Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan at the 4 and 5.

In terms of talent added, this is an A+ move. It's also hard to give the Spurs too much credit for simply drafting the obvious player, but at least they didn't talk themselves into drafting Brandon Miller over a clearly superior option.

Grade: A

2. Re-signed Tre Jones

Re-signed restricted free agent point guard Tre Jones to a 2-year, $19 million contract

An underrated part of any young big's development is the presence of a solid point guard, and the Spurs entered the offseason with a pair of young combo guards as their only options under contract at the position. They did ultimately land a point guard via trade (more on that deal in a moment) but it was important that they also find a way to retain restricted free agent Tre Jones.

The 23 year old fell to the 41st pick in the 2020 NBA Draft because of a lack of a 3-point shot, and that hasn't come along in the NBA to this point. What Jones has done is prove himself in nearly every other way. Last season he averaged 6.6 assists, was one of the league's best backcourt defenders, and on a 22-win team led the team in win shares with 3.4.

If the shot doesn't develop, his career will likely top out as high-end backup, but if he can become a reasonable shooter he could very easily be a solid starting poing guard for the next decade. His brother Tyus Jones has settled into that niche nicely, and Tre could follow in his footsteps.

That's what made this contract a no-brainer for the Spurs to get done, and $9.5 million is a great value for what Jones provides whether he is still starting in 2024-25 or not. By agreeing to a deal early, the Spurs were able to revoke his qualifying offer and maximize their cap space.

Grade: A

3. Pop Extension

Signed head coach Gregg Popovich to a 5-year, $80 million contract extension

Let's start this section with a handful of obvious statements. $16 million per season is an extravagent amount of money to spend on a coach. Gregg Popovich is at the very top of the list of the greatest head coaches in basketball history. Pop means more to San Antonio than any head coach in the league means to their team.

This deal is an overpay, especially since Popovich appears to be a step or two behind the rest of the league tactically. Overpaying a coach, however, is just money out of the owner's pocket; it doesn't have an impact on the salary cap or team construction. NBA owners should be more aggressive in paying top-tier coaches.

The added benefit of this deal is the leadership, mentoring and wisdom Popovich brings to the job, and specifically to molding the young phenom the Spurs just drafted. If superstars like Wembanyama fail, it's usually not because they aren't good at basketball. Pop can help him grow as a person, to face the challenges of stardom and the NBA as a man rather than a teenager.

Popovich has excelled in every area of being a coach, but where he is most valuable right now is building a culture. He is going to stick around and help the next core group of Spurs gain an identity, and that's a good thing for these players and this organization. The expectation - and probably hope - is that he will then transition into the front office to let the next coach take the baton and help this team contend.

Grade: A-

4. Reggie Bullock trade

As part of a 3-team trade, added Reggie Bullock and 2030 first-round pick swap from DAL

The Spurs joined three different trades this summer to take on unwanted salary, and this was both their best work and the most baffling for them to be a part of. The Dallas Mavericks added forward Grant Williams in a sign-and-trade, with the Boston Celtics adding a pair of second-round picks and Reggie Bullock diverted to the Spurs.

For the Celtics, this was a bet that their future financial flexibility was more valuable than Grant Williams on a four-year deal; that was probably the wrong move (they could have traded Williams in a future season if absolutely necessary) but it's at least understandable.

What's less reasonable is that instead of taking back Reggie Bullock, a veteran 3-and-D wing the Mavs had to move to make this trade legal under the hard cap, the contending Celtics instead took back fewer draft capital for Bullock to be rerouted to the Spurs. On an expiring contract, there is no reason but pure financial savings for Boston to have done that.

Back to the Spurs, this was their best use of cap space this summer. The Dallas Mavericks could very easily be a rebuilding team watching Luka Doncic play elsewhere by 2030, while the Spurs project to be very good with Wembanyama as their centerpiece in seven years. That's a high-upside pick to take on Bullock, who is a top candidate to be traded to a contender for value sometime between now and the Trade Deadline.

Grade: A-

5. Re-signed Dom Barlow

Signed center Dominick Barlow to a two-way contract

There were a number of standout players at Las Vegas Summer League, and most of them were either small scoring guards (who tend to excel in that format) or recent draft picks getting some extra run with their teams. When a big man plays well in Vegas, however, it's time to take note, because the wide-open shoot-first style in the desert isn't set up for big man success.

That's why many around the NBA were impressed with the play of Dominick Barlow, who was on a two-way deal with the Spurs last season and played with their Summer League team this year. He averaged 17 points 8.3 rebounds in Las Vegas, and impressively tallied 15 assists to just six turnovers in his six summer games (he played two at the California Classic).

Barlow went undrafted in last year's draft after playing for Overtime Elite, and spent last season on a two-way deal with the Spurs. After his strong summer showing it would not have been a surprise for another team to ink Barlow to an offer sheet and force the Spurs to match and use a roster spot on him.

Instead, they bring him back on another two-way contract, a steal of a move for the Spurs. The 6'9" center will continue to get run with the Austin Spurs while occasionally manning the 5 for the big club. Barlow just recently turned 20, and he could easily become a long-term rotation piece for the Spurs. To get such a player on a two-way deal is a nice piece of business.

Grade: A-

6. Cam Payne trade

Traded heavily-protected second-round pick to Phoenix for point guard Cameron Payne, 2025 second and cash

The Phoenix Suns cannot quite make up their mind. They seem entirely unconcerned about finances, blowing through the second tax apron and offering two-year deals in free agency that will cost new owner Matt Ishbia millions in extra money. Then they turn around and send a second-round pick to the Spurs to essentially dump Cameron Payne's contract, despite their seemingly massive need for a point guard.

The Spurs will certainly not shy away from an opportunity to help the Suns hurt themselves, not after the long history between these two franchises. Their timing with the signing of Tre Jones kept open enough cap space to make just such a trade as this.

Adding the second-round pick isn't a huge boon, a 2025 pick from New Orleans that is unlikely to be in the top handful of picks. What is more valuable is the presence of a second point guard, a veteran who has playoff experience and can pair with Jones to give Wembanyama and the rest of this roster a steady hand at the position.

Payne isn't anything special, but he's a solid backup point guard on a value contract. As with Bullock, there will likely be suitors for Payne by the Trade Deadline, allowing the Spurs to flip him for value. They could also keep him and potentially re-sign him to a value deal when he hits free agency this summer.

Grade: B+

7. Re-signed Julian Champagnie

Signed free agent forward Julian Champagnie to a 4-year, $12 million contract

Something that smart teams do when they're not contending is collect undervalued players, taking low-risk shots that they can find a rotation piece among the discarded players around the league. The Miami Heat are unsurprisingly great at this, but the Spurs can use these next few seasons to find a few diamonds in the rough as well.

That's what they've done with Julian Champagnie ("Sham-penny") after he was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers during the season. Champagnie is a 6'8" wing who has a smooth jumpshot and some other on-ball scoring potential; he will need to become a better, stronger defender, but his shooting potential alone makes him worth a flier.

The Spurs committed a roster spot to him but did so on an absolute steal of a contract, $3 million per season for the next four years. Each of the final three seasons are non-guaranteed with August trigger dates; essentially, the Spurs can do all of their summer business and then decide whether or not to keep Champagnie. The downside risk is essentially non-existent.

Champagnie has a hill to climb before he proves himself as a long-term NBA player, but he looked good in the California Classic before cooling off in Las Vegas; the potential is there. It's the kind of bet a team like the Spurs should absolutely make.

Grade: B+

8. Traded for Osman, Stevens

As part of a 3-team trade, added Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and a second-round pick

The lowest-value salary-dump that the Spurs were a part of was actually the first chronologically. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Max Strus agreed to a deal in free agency, but wanted to structure the deal as a sign-and-trade in order to pay Strus more than the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. The Heat, in turn, didn't want to bring back any salary as they try to maximize flexibility ahead of a Damian Lillard deal.

Enter the Spurs, who had salary cap space and a willingness to take on salary. For a second-round pick they took back two players, Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens, who together totaled around $7.1 million in guaranteed money.

Stevens, who is a tough defender and rebounder but hasn't been able to shoot at a level approaching even league average, was guaranteed only $400k and has since been waived by the Spurs. Osman is a decent two-way wing who does few things poorly but nothing extremely well, either; the Spurs will hope they can flip him to another team in the next six months.

Osman is on an expiring deal, so one way or the other they'll be free from him by next summer. He's a useful player, but doesn't bring much to the Spurs this season. They didn't get much for their troubles, so if they don't flip Osman for value this looks like the least valuable use of their cap space from their summer moves.

Grade: B

9. Drafted Sidy Cissoko

Drafted G League Ignite wing Sidy Cissoko with the 44th pick in the 2023 Draft

While NBA draft experts (and certainly the Spurs) were familiar with Victor Wembanyama for years, his coming out party for the general NBA population came last fall when his French club team, Metropolitans 92, came to Las Vegas for a pair of exhibition games against the G League Ignite. While Wembanyama was incredible in the two games, the other team had a French prospect of their own.

Sidy Cissoko, a 6'8" forward from France, was playing for G League Ignite. He would play 28 games altogether for the Ignite before the San Antonio Spurs selected him with the 44th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. A month later, the Spurs officially signed Cissoko to a contract.

Cissoko is a raw player who will need a lot of development to become an NBA contributor. The Spurs are the kind of team who can be patient with such players, so the Cissoko pick makes sense on that level. The problem is that his offensive game is very nascent; it will take a lot of work just to get to competent on that end. His defense will need to be elite even once his offensive game improves; this isn't a diamond in the rough. The Spurs are just hoping for quartz here.

Grade: C

10. Traded Leonard Miller

Traded the 33rd pick in 2023 Draft (used on G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for two 2028 second-round picks

If the Spurs were looking for a forward from the G League Ignite, they had one in hand in Leonard Miller and then agreed to trade him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pair of distant second-round picks. That's likely to be a poor return for the 33rd pick; those picks could both be in the low 30s, but it's much more likely one or both of them end up as relatively valueless picks.

At 33, the Spurs had the chance to pick a number of players who would be better prospects than Cissoko, at least in my evaluations. That includes Miller, who was a first-round talent with the upside to become a full-time starter for the Spurs.

That's the difference in Miller and Cissoko; the Spurs bet on a player who will need some time and could become a bench player. In Miller, the Spurs could have put in the time and potentially come out with a starter, or even a 20-10 kind of player at the 4 next to Wembanyama. His upside is no less present than Cissoko, and it reaches much higher.

The two 2028 picks aren't enough to justify the difference in value here. It's not the highest-impact decision, but it was a miss with the Spurs' second-best draft asset this year. Hitting on the small moves as well as the big ones will be key to the Spurs maximizing the roster aroud Wembanyama.

Grade: C-

Full offseason report card and overall grade

The Spurs ultimately made four trades, drafted two players, and re-signed three players and a Hall of Fame coach. That's a busy offseason, one that proved the franchise is not trying to rush winning around Wembanyama. Here is a summary of every move that they made:

Drafted Victor Wembanyama - Grade: A

Re-signed Tre Jones - Grade: A

Extended Gregg Popovich - Grade: A-

Traded for Reggie Bullock - Grade: A-

Re-signed Dom Barlow - Grade: A-

Traded for Cam Payne - Grade: B+

Re-signed Julian Champagnie - Grade: B+

Traded for Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens - Grade: B

Drafted Sidy Cissoko - Grade: C

Traded Leonard Miller - Grade: C-

Overall Offseason Grade

Not every move in a summer is of equal importance. Nailing the No. 1 pick is worth a lot more than missing on the 44th pick. On the biggest move of the summer, the Spurs got it right.

They also made a number of positive moves around that draft pick. Tre Jones and Cam Payne are solid point guards who can help get the ball to Wembanyama in places to help him score and develop. They got great value on all three of their new player contracts, and decent-enough value on the trades. They didn't solve all of their future questions, including who will start at point guard long-term, but it was a good use of resources for the season of team-building they are in.

Grade: A-