What's next for the Spurs after 2022 NBA Draft?
By Josh Paredes
In an unexpected turn of events, the San Antonio Spurs kept all three of their 1st-round picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft. Now comes the fun part -- figuring out how they'll make room.
According to Paul Garcia of Project Spurs, the Silver and Black now have a full roster as we approach free agency on June 30th at 6 p.m. ET.
Later, Garcia added that Spurs GM Brian Wright plans to keep all three players he selected, which were Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley. The Spurs ended up trading their No. 38 pick of Kennedy Chandler to the Memphis Grizzlies for a future second-round pick and cash.
If that's the case, that means someone is definitely on the move -- and likely multiple people. NBA writer Keith Smith was in agreement with many Spurs fans that San Antonio's pick of Branham at 20th could probably mean Lonnie Walker is not long for the Alamo City.
On top of the logjam at the guard position, offloading Walker would free up around $13.3 million in cap space for the Spurs to use. Pairing that fact with his inconsistent play, there's a reason we made the point back in April that letting Walker walk is the best way to go.
As far as the newest Spurs are concerned, San Antonio Express-News writer Tom Orsborn believes Branham and Wesley will likely spend a good amount of time with the Austin Spurs next season.
Meanwhile, I wouldn't be surprised if Sochan was fighting for a starting spot at some point next season depending on how his offense develops.
What's next for the Spurs?
With free agency right around the corner, expect San Antonio to be both buyers and sellers -- with guys like Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott, and Romeo Langford potentially in play. Since the Spurs didn't draft a traditional center, Jakob Poeltl trade rumors may die down a bit unless they're able to lure someone like Deandre Ayton from the Phoenix Suns.
We'll have more speculation on the specifics of who may be on the outs in San Antonio coming soon, but for now, it's safe to say the roster should look markedly different from last season by mid-July.