The San Antonio Spurs have finished 15th and 14th in the Western Conference in the past two seasons. But now that Victor Wembanyama has established himself as one of basketball’s superstars, there’s increased pressure on Gregg Popovich to produce a team that can compete against any opponent they face.
One of the ways the Spurs tried to take a leap forward was recently revealed thanks to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. While they didn’t get a deal done, the Spurs reportedly expressed interest in trading for Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard and Cleveland’s Darius Garland. Yet, just because the Spurs couldn’t strike a deal this summer, it doesn’t mean both point guards aren’t still on their radar for a potential future trade.
“The Spurs will be one team to monitor for Nembhard moving forward, sources said, after San Antonio registered trade interest in Nembhard this offseason. Before San Antonio brought Chris Paul to organize the Spurs’ offense around Victor Wembanyama, sources said San Antonio called various teams around the league exploring veteran guards who have still yet to enter their primes. Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland was another talented ball-handler the Spurs called about, sources said, although Cleveland has rebuffed any inbound trade interest for Garland to date.” – Jake Fischer on San Antonio Spurs
Nembhard just signed a three-year, $59 million contract extension with the Pacers, so he’s not expected to be traded any time soon. Meanwhile, Garland has frequently been mentioned as a potential trade candidate, but as mentioned, the Cavaliers don’t appear eager to deal the 24-year-old All-Star.
While the Spurs signed Chris Paul this offseason, he’s only on a one-year contract. There’s also incoming rookie Stephon Castle who is more likely to emerge as San Antonio’s point guard of the future. However, Fischer notes that other high-profile players, such as Trae Young and Josh Giddey, have expressed an interest in joining the Spurs since Wembanyama arrived.
Giddey has since been traded, but Young’s future in Atlanta is still in question. Perhaps we’ll see the sharpshooter team up with Wembanyama later on, but the Spurs likely won’t struggle to find other playmakers eager to play in San Antonio with the rising star, either.
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