NBA Trade Rumors: 4 Players Spurs Shouldn't Deal This Offseason

The San Antonio Spurs have a lot of promise on the roster at the moment.
© Scott Wachter, USA TODAY
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The San Antonio Spurs are just three games away from the offseason, where the team should look to make some changes in order to improve the roster.

The Spurs could look very different next season, but San Antonio has a lot of talent worth holding onto in the the second year of a true rebuild.

Bleacher Report identified point guard Malaki Branham, veteran forward Keldon Johnson, rookie lottery pick Jeremy Sochan, and sharpshooter Devin Vassell as the players the Spurs shouldn't trade this offseason.

"If the San Antonio Spurs strike draft-lottery gold and add either Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson, then they may look to compete sooner rather than later. That could have them holding on to more of their young players in hopes of building a winning core on the fly," Bleacher Report writes. "Should disaster strike at the draft lottery, though, San Antonio might tear things down even further and flip a few of its more polished prospects for assets. That could put players like Johnson and Vassell up for grabs, but at this stage of the Spurs' rebuild, their development likely trumps their trade value."

As rookies, Branham and Sochan are probably the safer of the quartet. Both players have showed a lot of promise in their rookie seasons and should continue to develop with more playing time next season.

Johnson and Vassell are perhaps the two best players on the team for next season, even if they don't have the highest ceilings. Both are viewed as leaders on the team and should be key pieces for the Spurs ... at least for next season.

The Spurs have at least two first-round picks that will be added to the roster this offseason to contribute to the youth movement, and they'll compete alongside these four to be considered among the "untouchables" in a year from now.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.