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

2. Devonte Graham

The Spurs took on Graham’s contract with four second-round picks for Josh Richardson at the 2023 trade deadline. The 6’1 guard was the Hornets starter for two years before signing a four-year $47 million contract with the Pelicans in 2021. New Orleans completed a sign-and-trade to get him and immediately regretted it.

Graham played well in his 20 games with the Spurs, but his shooting efficiency and porous defense continue to be problems. The 6’1 guard averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game, but he is not part of the Spurs future. He is a career 37.2 percent shooter from the field, and the undersized point guard must be hidden on defense.

Graham has two years and $24.9 million remaining on his contract. He won’t be easy to move this season, but next summer his $12.7 million expiring salary will be offloaded in a trade to improve the Spurs roster around Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio will gear up for a playoff run in 2025, and Devonte Graham is not a postseason player.

He could be a key matching salary in a trade, but the San Antonio Spurs must give up a young piece or two to make that blockbuster move. They have Devon Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Malaki Branham locked in around Wemby, but one young talent could be expendable.