The Dream scenario for a perfect Spurs offseason

The San Antonio Spurs must be active in free agency

San Antonio will have to make decisions regarding their free agents first. With nine players under contract for next season plus their lottery pick, they'll have just five available roster spots along with the two-way roster spots.

While moving on from free agents like Trey Lyles and Rudy Gay should be straightforward, deciding on DeMar DeRozan will be much harder. While DeMar has been a borderline All-Star for each of the past 3 seasons, the team has certainly struggled.

Ultimately, the Spurs should opt not to re-sign Demar to a long-term deal. Instead, they should seek to give their young core more prominent roles.

Rather than lose him for nothing, they could keep DeRozan’s cap hold on the books. Doing so would preserve the chance of a sign-and-trade while still being able to pursue other free agents.

Despite the possibility of max cap space, there are limited options that make sense for San Antonio in this year’s free-agent class. As a result, the Spurs should prioritize pursuing restricted free agents who fit with their young core. Three such players fit the bill: John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, and Duncan Robinson

John Collins is the youngest and most talented of the three players, though, the Atlanta Hawks seems poised to match any offer for Collins. Unless the Spurs work out a sign-and-trade, it seems unlikely that they can acquire him.