5 Spurs who have no chance of making the next playoff roster

The San Antonio Spurs have the centerpiece of their next playoff team in Victor Wembanyama, and the wins will come sooner than fans expect. Wemby is a historically great prospect and will be a difference-maker from day one. The Spurs kept the pressure off him this season, but will be eager to compete in 2024-25.

San Antonio is flush with draft capital and is just waiting to strike. They want Wembanyama to get acclimated to the league and have time to work on his game. The Spurs will make a push quickly and already have a talented young roster around their star.

Expect the franchise to return to the playoffs in 2025. They will have to ship out some talent to make upgrades, so who is not on the Spurs next postseason roster?

5. Khem Birch

Birch came to San Antonio in the Jakob Poeltl trade at last season’s deadline, but the 6’9 big man did not play for the Spurs. He was out with a knee injury and missed the remainder of the year.

The 31-year-old is now fighting to stick in San Antonio. He is set to make $6.9 million in the final year of his deal, but the Spurs have 16 guaranteed contracts for 15 regular-season roster spots. Khem Birch is battling Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili for the backup center role and one of those three is most likely to be waived unless a trade materializes.

Birch is entering his seventh NBA season and has been a reserve big man in Orlando and Toronto. Can he lockdown that role behind Zach Collins on the San Antonio Spurs? If not, the 6’9 big man may be searching for a new home before the franchise’s opening night battle against the Mavericks on Oct. 25.

The Spurs have four players set to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2024 and each could be wearing a new uniform by the February trade deadline.