Spurs Rumors

Dylan Harper Undergoes Thumb Surgery, Hopeful For Opener

The Spurs‘ No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft, Dylan Harper, underwent surgery on Friday, reports Shams Charania for ESPN (via Twitter). The procedure addressed a partially torn ligament in the guard’s left thumb.

The hope is that the surgery will allow Harper to return in time for San Antonio’s October 22 season opener against the Mavericks. However, it will prevent the rookie point guard from participating in training camp, a crucial development step for any young player.

According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, Harper sustained the injury during an offseason workout in the Spurs’ practice facility on Wednesday. Team sources suggest Harper is considered unlikely to play during San Antonio’s preseason, McDonald adds.

The highly touted guard was expected to come off the bench behind De’Aaron Fox to start the season. If Harper is forced to miss regular-season time, the team will have to rely on its guard rotation of Jordan McLaughlin and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle to handle backup point guard duties (Castle also figures to start alongside Fox).

Spurs Notes: 2025/26 Season, Wembanyama, Sochan

As part of her team-by-team series previewing the Rockets’ Southwest rivals, Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) spoke to Spurs beat writer Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who weighed in on San Antonio’s offseason moves, reasons for optimism entering the fall, and what a successful Spurs season would look like.

According to McDonald, the Spurs would likely consider 2025/26 to be a success if they increase their win total into the 40s and are at least in the play-in picture, if not among the Western Conference’s eight playoff teams.

While a full season from mid-season trade acquisition De’Aaron Fox, another step forward from Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, and a promising first year from Dylan Harper would help the team achieve that goal, McDonald stresses that the Spurs’ fortunes will ultimately hinge on what they get from Victor Wembanyama after he missed the second half of the ’24/25 campaign due to a blood clot.

Here’s more on the Spurs:

  • Although Wembanyama hasn’t played in a game since February, having sat out the ongoing EuroBasket tournament, he has taken part in some full-court runs recently at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). “Just so you know, (he) is said to have looked quite stellar,” Stein writes.
  • The Spurs announced on Friday that their annual open scrimmage at Frost Bank Center will take place on October 4, McDonald writes for The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). As McDonald notes, while there’s no guarantee Wembanyama will participate in that scrimmage, it could very well be the first opportunity that Spurs fans will have to see the former No. 1 overall pick in game action in nearly eight months.
  • In a subscriber-only story for his Substack, Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot weighs the likelihood of a Jeremy Sochan rookie scale extension, exploring what the forward brings to the table for the Spurs, what a deal might look like, and whether it makes sense to put if off until the summer of 2026, when Sochan can become a restricted free agent. We also considered the possibility of a Sochan extension in our Spurs offseason check-in last week. October 20 is the deadline for him to sign a new contract.

Stanley Umude Joins Spurs On Camp Deal

The Spurs have signed Stanley Umude to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot (Twitter link). Umude’s addition bumps San Antonio’s roster count to 20, one below the maximum with training camps looming later this month.

Umude played last season with the Bucks on a two-way contract. He made 22 cameo appearances for Milwaukee, never scoring more than three points. In 13 games with the Wisconsin Herd of the G League, Umude averaged 17.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Umude, who also played for Milwaukee’s Summer League team this July, was in the Pistons organization the previous two seasons, playing on a two-way deal in 2023/24. The 26-year-old went undrafted in 2022 after playing at Arkansas.

If Umude is waived ahead of the season and spends at least 60 days with the club’s NBAGL affiliate, the Austin Spurs, he’ll be eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his G League salary.

And-Ones: ESPN Panel, Top SGs, Lundberg, Hayes-Davis

The Spurs and Hawks are considered the co-favorites to make the biggest leap in the NBA during the upcoming season, according to a panel of ESPN Insiders.

The panel made its predictions on a wide variety of topics, including the team most likely to make a big move before the trade deadline (the Warriors received the most votes) and the next superstar to request a trade (Zion Williamson was the top vote-getter).

Here’s more from around the international basketball world:

  • Anthony Edwards tops the list of shooting guards ranked by The Athletic’s Zach Harper. Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell fill out tier one — players who are potential MVP candidates — in “The Bounce’s Top 40 Shooting Guards.” Desmond Bane, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine comprised the second tier as players “who can take over” a game.
  • Gabriel ‘Iffe’ Lundberg won’t return to Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade, according to Sportando. The Danish guard, according to a TeleSport report, has drawn interest from both Zenit St. Petersburg and Olympiacos. Lundberg had a brief stay in the NBA, playing four games with Phoenix during the 2021/22 season.
  • Tel Aviv’s owner Ofer Yannay had a verbal agreement this offseason with Nigel Hayes-Davis in the event that the free agent forward couldn’t find an NBA contract. Hayes-Davis, who played in Turkey last season, wound up signing a one-year deal with the Suns. “We were sure we were bringing Nigel Hayes-Davis. We were sure it was happening. He had an option to go to the NBA, and he basically said, ‘I’ll try to get a contract in the NBA, and if I don’t, I’ll come to you,’” Yannay said, per Eurohoops.net.

NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: San Antonio Spurs

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the San Antonio Spurs.


Free agent signings

  • Luke Kornet: Four years, $40,700,000. Third year partially guaranteed ($2.55MM). Fourth year non-guaranteed. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
  • Jordan McLaughlin: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Lindy Waters III: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($500K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Adam Flagler: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Micah Potter: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the Kings’ 2030 second-round pick and cash ($2.5MM) from the Pacers in exchange for the draft rights to Kam Jones (No. 38 pick).
  • Acquired Kelly Olynyk from the Wizards in exchange for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley, and either the Mavericks’, Thunder’s, or Sixers’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).

Draft picks

  • 1-2: Dylan Harper
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $56,140,113).
  • 1-14: Carter Bryant
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $23,419,858).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other roster moves

  • Signed De’Aaron Fox to a four-year, maximum-salary veteran contract extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $222,394,368.

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
  • Carrying approximately $179.9MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $195,945,000.
  • Portion of non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($3,104,000) available.
  • Full bi-annual exception ($5,134,000) available.

The offseason so far

It’s the sort of champagne problem that any NBA team would probably welcome, but the two best things to happen to the Spurs this year have created something of a redundancy on their roster, resulting in some uncertainty about whether this is what their core will look like going forward or whether a trade will be necessary to balance the depth chart.

The first of the Spurs’ big breaks came in January, when De’Aaron Fox made it clear to the Kings that he wouldn’t be signing an extension with the team and had just one trade destination on his wish list: San Antonio. With some leverage in trade talks, the Spurs were able to get a pretty good deal on Fox, acquiring him for a package made up of bench players, two first-round picks, and five second-round selections. Seven draft picks isn’t nothing, but those two first-rounders were far less than it cost to acquire non-All-Stars like Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane on the trade market in recent years.

San Antonio’s second fortunate turn of events occurred at the draft lottery, when the club entered the night in the No. 8 slot and came away with the second overall pick. With Cooper Flagg considered the consensus top pick in this year’s draft class, that put the Spurs in position to nab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper at No. 2 in June’s draft.

The only problem? Fox, Harper, and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle are all guards who thrive with the ball in their hands and who haven’t developed a reliable outside shot. That doesn’t mean they’re not valuable players — all three absolutely are. But given their overlapping skill sets, it remains an open question whether the Spurs can make it work with all of them playing big minutes (and at least two of them sharing the court for most of the game).

That question fueled speculation that the Spurs might dangle that No. 2 overall pick in trade talks to bolster their roster on the wing or in the frontcourt, passing up Harper and simply rolling with Fox and Castle in the backcourt. But Harper – who almost certainly would’ve been the No. 1 pick if he were in last year’s class – was ultimately too good a prospect to pass on.

The Spurs clearly envision Harper as a part of their long-term future, and Castle is in that group too after earning Rookie of the Year honors this spring. But what about Fox? He entered the offseason on an expiring contract, with the ability to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Would the Spurs be more reluctant to extend him after drafting Harper? Would adding Harper at least make them more inclined to draw a hard line in extension negotiations with Fox?

The answer to both of those questions was no. Immediately after his six-month restriction lifted in early August, Fox signed a four-year, maximum-salary extension that will keep him under contract even beyond the end of Castle’s and Harper’s rookie deals.

It wasn’t really a shocking outcome. The Spurs and Fox likely planned on that extension back when the trade with Sacramento was made, and it would’ve been bad business for the club not to hold up its end of the bargain for an All-Star caliber player who essentially forced his way to San Antonio. But it puts the Spurs in a fascinating position going forward and will make their backcourt chemistry one of the most interesting Western Conference storylines to monitor in 2025/26.

While the Harper pick and the Fox extension were the two most meaningful transactions of the summer for the Spurs, the team also made a pair of notable moves to bolster its frontcourt around rising star Victor Wembanyama, who missed the last two months of the 2024/25 season after being diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. San Antonio used most of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Luke Kornet, then later sent a pair of former first-round picks (Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley) to Washington along with a second-round pick for Kelly Olynyk.

There may have been some sticker shock when word broke that Kornet – who had never earned more than $2.5MM in a season – signed a four-year, $41MM deal. But only the first two years are fully guaranteed, and Kornet easily outplayed his minimum-salary deal with Boston last season. The Celtics had a +14.9 net rating during Kornet’s 1,361 minutes of action — no Boston player had an individual net rating higher than that.

While Kornet gives the Spurs another solid rebounder and defender in the middle, Olynyk will add more shooting to their frontcourt. A career 37.1% three-point shooter, Olynyk has been even better in recent years, making nearly 40.0% of his outside attempts since the start of the 2022/23 season. With Western Conference powers increasingly leaning into double-big lineups, San Antonio now has more options to deploy that sort of look, given the ability of both Olynyk and Wembanyama to stretch the floor and play outside the paint on offense.

Of course, it’s worth noting that the one making those lineup decisions on the Spurs’ sidelines will be Mitch Johnson, who took over head coaching duties last fall after Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke and was given the job on a full-time basis this spring. It’s the first coaching change in nearly three decades in San Antonio, but all indications last season were that Johnson had the full support of everyone within the organization, from players to management to Popovich himself.

Finally, while Harper will be the Spurs rookie under the spotlight this season, we should mention the fact that the team actually had two lottery picks and used the second one, No. 14 overall, to draft Arizona wing Carter Bryant. Bryant struggled in six Summer League games, making just 28.6% of his shots from the field (25.8% of his threes) and turning the ball over 3.2 times in just 24.1 minutes per game, but he’s considered a strong three-and-D prospect who could become a long-term fixture in San Antonio.


Up next

The Spurs have 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with guard Lindy Waters III on a minimum-salary deal that includes a $500K partial guarantee. Even if the team intends to carry Waters on its regular season roster – which seems likely – there’s an open roster spot available, and adding a 15th man wouldn’t come with any tax or apron concerns.

If San Antonio does intend to fill that roster spot before the season begins, it could make sense to add one more big man for depth purposes, given that Wembanyama is coming off a health scare and Olynyk isn’t exactly a true center. For what it’s worth, former Spur Charles Bassey remains unsigned and has been reasonably productive in limited minutes for San Antonio.

I expect any major trade activity to take place closer to the deadline rather than before the regular season, but Keldon Johnson and – to a lesser extent – Devin Vassell have been frequent subjects of trade speculation and are worth keeping an eye on going forward.

Harrison Barnes (veteran) and Jeremy Sochan (rookie scale), meanwhile, are the most noteworthy extension candidates on San Antonio’s roster. At age 33, Barnes may not be part of the Spurs’ long-term plans, but he has been an iron man in recent years, having not missed a game since December 2021, and was a full-time starter last season. I wouldn’t expect him to sign another long-term deal, but a one- or two-year extension might work for both sides.

While Barnes has long established his skill set and his value to an NBA team, Sochan is a little more difficult to evaluate. The 22-year-old has been used in different roles across his three years in the league and had multiple extended injury absences last season. He’s a good defender and a solid rebounder for his size, but he’s not all that dangerous on offense, scoring almost exclusively from inside the arc.

When Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report previewed rookie scale extension candidates in the spring, he cited Moses Moody and his three-year, $37.5MM extension as a possible comparable for Sochan and projected a three-year, $33MM extension for the Spurs forward. That sounds about right to me, but whether Sochan would accept that sort of offer remains to be seen. It’s possible it will take something a bit more lucrative to keep him off the 2026 restricted free agent market.

Peter Holt Posted A Message For Fans About An Arena Project

  • Spurs managing partner Peter Holt posted a message on NBA.com about a potential $1.3 billion project to build a new arena in downtown San Antonio. The team has pledged to commit $500MM and cover any unforeseen costs, while the city has agreed to provide up to $489MM. City council authorized the project earlier this week, but the final decision will be up to Bexar County voters in November. “This will be a true public-private partnership,” Holt wrote. “The arena will be publicly owned, funded by visitors, and built to revitalize our downtown, create jobs and give future generations a place to celebrate together.”
  • The Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, announced in a press release that they have agreed to a trade with the Iowa Wolves. Austin received the 13th pick in this year’s draft in exchange for the returning player rights of Luke Avdalovic, Justin Smith, a second-round pick in 2026 and a 2026 international draft selection.

Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III

The Warriors remain locked in a contract standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, but that hasn’t kept them from poking around the league for upgrades on the trade market. One name that has come up in their search, writes Jake Fischer for The Stein Line, is Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III.

Fischer says the Warriors approached the Pelicans about Murphy this summer. However, he notes that New Orleans has turned away offers for the recently-turned 25-year-old, who is coming off a breakout year that saw him score 21.2 points per game after averaging 14.6 PPG over the previous two years.

Murphy, who is on a favorable contract (four years, $112MM), is a 6’8″ wing who can shoot (career 38.3% from three), defend at a solid level, and has shown flashes of self-creation. The Warriors have placed a premium on shooting, as illustrated by Fischer’s report that they have refused to consider sign-and-trade offers that would force them to part with either Moses Moody or Buddy Hield, two of the team’s top marksmen outside of Stephen Curry.

Fischer adds another name to the list of potential suitors for Murphy: the Spurs. According to Fischer, San Antonio has also registered trade interest in the athletic wing.

Murphy would be a clean fit with the Spurs, who could use a big wing shooter to complement guards De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle – an extremely talented trio that doesn’t feature a reliable outside shooter – as well as versatile forward Jeremy Sochan.

However, all the reasons teams such as the Spurs and Warriors are interested in Murphy’s services are also reasons the Pelicans would be reluctant to part with him. That’s especially true given the uncertainty surrounding Zion Williamson, both in terms of his long-term health and off-court allegations. Murphy, the recently extended Herb Jones, and Jose Alvarado have been on the team longer than anyone outside of Williamson, and Murphy’s game has grown tremendously in that time.

Spurs Hire Jacob Chance To Coach G League Team

The Spurs have hired Jacob Chance as the head coach for their NBA G League affiliate in Austin, the team announced in a press release. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported the news (Twitter link).

Just 31, Chance has an extensive background coaching in Australia. He was on the NBL’s Perth Wildcats staff when they won four titles. He then moved to the Tasmania JackJumpers as an associate head coach under Scott Roth before joining Melbourne United’s staff. Chance has also made his mark as an assistant for the Australian national team under former head coach Brian Goorjian.

He served as the national team’s head coach during a qualifying window in February.

“All the way through, it was even more than I imagined,” Goorjian told ESPN’s Olgun Uluc. “He’s just elite in all aspects, the film aspect of it, on the floor with the individuals, understanding offensive and defensive schemes. Just an unbelievable feel for that. He had a unique ability to get players to buy in. You had guys like Joe Ingles and Patty Mills – two guys he didn’t have a background with – and he did a great job of being really good on his feet and building those relationships, and had good feel about what to say, when to go there, and when to back off. Those seniors guys are not gonna come near you if you’re not competent. They were attracted to him.

“As I walked away from the Boomers, my advice to Basketball Australia for the window stuff is that Chancey can do this; you’re identifying something that’s really talented, and you’re gonna get rewarded for it. I’ve been around; I think the world of him.”

Australia’s Matt Nielsen was Austin’s former head coach and is currently on the Spurs’ staff.

“To go back and work with Matty, who essentially got me into the industry… in 2015, to come full circle and be back with him and hopefully be around him in this first little bit of time with the Spurs, it was hard to say no to,” Chance said. “He’s a good friend, a big-time mentor, and excited to get to work with him again.”

Spurs Add Martin, King To Johnson’s Staff

The Spurs have hired Tim Martin and Scott King as assistant coaches under Mitch Johnson, according to a team press release.

As previously reported, Sean Sweeney has been named the team’s associate head coach and Corliss Williamson has also joined the staff as an assistant.

Martin will serve as an assistant coach/player development, bringing more than 15 years of experience as an NBA skills trainer since 2008.

King led San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, to a Western Conference Finals appearance as head coach last season. He was named G League Coach of the Year. Before his time in Austin, King spent five seasons on the Knicks’ staff.

Sweeney had been an assistant under Jason Kidd with the Nets and Bucks as well as the Mavericks. Sweeney’s name has frequently popped up when head coaching jobs have come open but he has yet to land one of those coveted positions.

Williamson, a former NBA forward, spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Timberwolves.

Rounding out the staff, Jimmy Baron and Josh Brannon have been promoted to assistant coach/player development as well. Rashard Lewis has joined the Spurs’ player development staff, while Andrew Weatherman will serve a coaching analyst and Madison Clower will have the role of player development analyst.

Lewis, who had a 16-year career as an NBA player,  previously served as an assistant coach with the Pistons during the 2022/23 season.

Marco Belinelli Announces Retirement

Longtime NBA wing Marco Belinelli has announced his retirement as a player, as Eurohoops relays. Belinelli confirmed the decision in a social media post on Monday (Instagram link).

“I gave it my heart,” Belinelli wrote. “Every piece of me. Every single day. Basketball gave me everything… and I gave it everything I had. Saying goodbye isn’t easy. But it’s time. I carry with me every emotion, every sacrifice, every cheer. Thank you to those who always believed. To the next generation—I leave a dream. Make it count.”

Belinelli, who turned 39 in March, was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2007 draft and spent the next 13 seasons in the NBA, appearing in 860 total regular season games for nine teams.

The 6’5″ Italian swingman held career NBA averages of 9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 22.7 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .424/.376/.846. Known for his outside shooting, he made 1,216 career three-pointers.

Belinelli’s best season came in 2013/14 in San Antonio, when he averaged 11.4 PPG and made a career-high 43.0% of his three-point tries. He won the NBA’s three-point contest that season and was part of the Spurs‘ championship team, appearing in all 23 playoff games the team played that spring.

Belinelli also suited up for Golden State, Toronto, New Orleans, Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.

Since leaving the NBA in 2020, Belinelli has played for Virtus Bologna, the Italian club with whom he began his career as a teenager. He has bolstered his career résumé in recent years, winning a pair of Lega Serie A titles in 2021 and 2025, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023, and claiming an MVP award in 2024.