What's the Maximum Cap Space Spurs Can Have for 2022 Offseason?

The offseason is approaching quickly, and the San Antonio Spurs will be one of the teams likely to make plenty of moves.

An abundance of cap space will be one of the team's biggest weapons this summer, as they're one of five teams projected by Spotrac to have projected practical cap space north of $20 million. Of course, the Spurs' projected figure of $22.8 million will fluctuate depending on what they do with their current contracts.

The biggest determining factor in exactly how much money the Spurs will have available lies with their decision on Lonnie Walker. He currently has a $13.4 cap hold on the books, meaning if San Antonio lets him go, their $14.5 million in current cap space shoots up to $27 million. That's one key reason we've been arguing it might be time for the front office to move on.

Still, if they pursue bigger names like Deandre Ayton or Zach LaVine seriously, the Spurs would need to free up even more space to be able to afford them in addition to their current projected draft picks and roster guarantees.

Project Spurs' Paul Garcia broke down the maximum amount of cap space San Antonio could theoretically free up if they were so inclined.

"If they keep their three picks only and waive Zach Collins, Tre Jones, and let all free agents walk, this would leave 11 players on the roster and $37 million in cap space."

Would the Spurs actually free up that much money?

As Garcia notes in the episode of Spurscast above, it's unlikely San Antonio would actually do something as drastic as letting all of their free agents walk and waiving Collins and Jones.

Collins did a serviceable job as a backup center last season and is on a relatively friendly deal when you consider what he brings to the court. Jones is also only heading into his third year in the league and will only be owed $1.78 million in 2022-23. He's shown enough improvement to remain with the team for at least another year.

Other non-guaranteed contracts like Jock Landale, Keita Bates-Diop, and Joe Wieskamp might be the real ones to watch if the Spurs need a bit of extra cap space this summer. Their contracts range from $1.5 million to $1.87 million.

For now, there's still a lot of uncertainty about what the Spurs will do since their lottery selection has a chance to rise or fall at the NBA Draft Lottery on May 17th. Depending on where they'll be selecting, they may choose to free up more money to pursue greater talent, but that'll be a bridge to cross once they know what they're working with.