Spurs' dwindling untouchable list a gift and a curse for promising future

The tide in San Antonio has changed from last offseason to this one. If you had asked me who the untouchable players were on the roster, I would have listed Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell, but there's been a shift. The 2024 NBA season had a lot going on, but it still gave us insight into what the future could look like with these players.

It wasn't incredibly impressive, and as a result, the list has been cut in half. Wembanyama will always be on the untouchable list. Castle is about to win Rookie of the Year, and he did so by having a year so outstanding that he's also earned the right to stay put. My opinion on Vassell and Sochan has evolved, however, and if the front office believes something similar, it's a good thing and somewhat of a sad thing.

Spurs won't have a homegrown core like original Big 3

There's something special about watching the players your team drafted grow into stars who lead the team to championships. Those are your guys. It earns an affinity from the city's residents that a transplant is unable to reach. It's one of the speculated reasons Durant left Golden State.

He was never going to get the same respect, love, and adulation that Steph Curry received, no matter what he did. Durant flat out denied that jealousy had anything to do with his departure, but the point isn't whether or not he left for that reason; it's whether there's credence to the notion that a player acquired through trade could receive the same admiration as one drafted to the team.

The Warriors' situation gave us the perfect insight into that mindset, and based on that chapter in NBA history, it's true. Durantula was the Finals MVP for two straight years, but he never eclipsed Chef Curry in popularity among Warriors fans. Again, to be clear, he says he didn't care about that, and I believe him, but whether he cared or not, that was the reality.

The love San Antonio residents have for Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan is special, not just because they won championships wearing silver and black colors, but because those were our guys. Stephon Castle and Wembanyama can reach that level of respect and admiration, but Fox cannot.

The third spot was supposed to be reserved for Devin Vassell, but he's looking like trade bait as more time passes. His name is constantly in trade rumors. If he and Keldon are traded, the only drafted core players remaining would be Wembanyama, Castle, and Sochan, and Jeremy isn't guaranteed a long-term spot either. Putting him on the bench for most of the season told us that.

The good thing about all of this is that the Spurs aren't being hardheaded. Their willingness to adjust and make aggressive moves to reach their goals shows an evolved mindset. Big moves weren't really a part of the formula back then. They had a strong core, and they made ancillary moves around them to build the roster, but times have changed.

Teams are too skilled from the first man to the tenth to take a ho-hum approach to success. Guys must be judged and moved if they're not reaching their potential fast enough. It's a more cutthroat approach, but it's the way business must be done. There's a way to do it gracefully, though, and if there's any organization that figures out how to do that, it's the Spurs.