According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, the San Antonio Spurs consider just two of their players untouchable–Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. Givony noted that the Spurs “want to be competitive next year” despite last appearing in the playoffs in 2019.
Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell only untouchable players for San Antonio; per @DraftExpress
“Everything I hear is that they want to be competitive next year, they want to be in the playoffs. They’re not looking to make this a 2-3 year process… I’ve heard nobody in the… pic.twitter.com/rzIjnfPZlz
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BASKETBALLonX) June 4, 2024
The Spurs will likely have a busy offseason ahead of them this summer. They have just one unrestricted free agent (Cedi Osman) and are projected to have the sixth-highest cap space total this offseason. Additionally, they own the No. 4 and No. 8 picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Per the most recent reports, the Spurs are willing to trade nearly everybody to be competitive immediately.
REPORT: San Antonio Spurs Consider 2 Players “Untouchable”
Victor Wembanyama
Deeming Wembanyama an untouchable is a no-brainer. In his first season in the NBA, the French native took the league by storm, winning the Rookie of the Year award unanimously. Additionally, he finished as the runner-up to the Defensive Player of the Year award behind Rudy Gobert. In his historic rookie season, Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game. Many NBA personalities have given Wembanyama his flowers. In fact, some have even said he could be considered the greatest of all time when he retires. However, the 20-year-old feels he “didn’t do enough.”
“That is not how I feel,” he responded to the suggestion he had outdone even the most optimistic forecasts for success in his inaugural season. “Maybe it’s the case, but it’s not how I feel because I always, every day, try to push harder and do more, get more achievements, more records, more wins. But the next day I always tell myself that I didn’t do enough and to push me even more. “So, it’s my first impression that I didn’t exceed any expectations, that I should have done more.”
Considered a generational talent, it will be worth following Wembanyama’s NBA career from this point on.
Devin Vassell
Before a foot injury ended his season early, the fourth-year wing was enjoying a career year. The 23-year-old averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game during the regular season. Additionally, he finished 12th in the voting for the Most Improved Player award. In October, Vassell signed a five-year, $135 million contract extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028-29 season. It is clear the Spurs view him as a foundational piece. Furthermore, during the season, head coach Gregg Popovich spoke about Vassell’s improvements on the court.
“He is one of the guys on the team that, all the development things we’ve been doing, you can start to see it,” Popovich said. “He’s playing better defense. He’s rebounding. He’s becoming aggressive. He’s driving the paint, he’s finding people, he’s shooting the three in transition. He’s really upped his game.”
