Spurs Offseason: Who Would San Antonio Protect in NBA Expansion Draft?

The San Antonio Spurs won't have to worry about this for a little while longer according to Adam Silver, but if an NBA expansion were to happen, which eight players would be protected and why?

Mar 12, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts with guard Devin Vassell (24) and forward Jeremy Sochan (10) before a time out during the first half against the Houston Rockets at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

San Antonio, by admission, houses what’s comparatively been a “smaller-market” NBA franchise in the San Antonio Spurs.

When Victor Wembanyama entered the equation, that didn’t change, but the amount of attention given to the Silver & Black certainly did. All of a sudden, the Spurs were in contention for marquee matchups, like their upcoming Christmas Day game against the New York Knicks, despite their on-court struggles.

Naturally, many of them can be chalked up to a young team “learning to play,” both with each other and alongside a talent like Wembanyama.

In essence, they’re growing pains. 

READ MORE: How Wembanyama is Spearheading NBA's Competitive Parity

Adam Silver, speaking after the NBA's Board of Governor's meeting, touched on the idea and commended Wembanyama for putting the Spurs on more-even ground with other big-market teams around the league. As they ascend, however, they could see other teams join the league in much lower positions through impending expansion.

"There was not a lot of discussion in this meeting about expansion," Silver explained, "We’re not quite ready. ... I think there’s certainly interest in the process, and I think that we’re not there yet in terms of (making) any specific decisions about markets or even frankly, to expand."

Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver arrives prior to the WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ready or not, the idea is out there. Some key locations include Seattle, once home to the Supersonics; Las Vegas, which is quickly becoming a mecca for professional sports; and even Mexico City, where the NBA has played regular-season games over the course of the last few years.

If any of those cities were to be granted a team, each NBA team would be subject to participate in a league expansion draft. Based on precedent — the last time an NBA expansion happened was in 2004 with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats — they could protect up to eight players, but no more.

The teams selecting would be taking those players' contracts off the books, and a new team would be formed. If such was the case, who might the Spurs protect?

Let's take a look:

Tier 1: Duh

Players protected: Victor Wembanyama

This one shouldn’t need much explaining. Despite having only one NBA season under his belt, Wembanyama’s star is already one of the brightest and most unique in today’s game. He made waves even prior to joining the Spurs, and he figures to be the face of not only the Silver & Black, but the entire NBA for years to come.

While expectations for Wembanyama may have been gaudy when he entered the league, there’s a strong argument that he lived up to them, averaging a 20-point double-double and taking home multiple awards, including the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Trophy. 

Better yet for San Antonio, his extraterrestrial impact should only grow with time. 

Feb 3, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

"I am young," Wembanyama said midway through last season. "I'm getting better every day. ... The good thing (about) my margin of progression is that I don’t even know how big it is.

"I can get so much better."

Tier 2: Cornerstone Supporting Cast

Players protected: Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan

The next wave of protections involve three wings who are not just quality players, but players who the Spurs have committed a lot of resources to. 

Devin Vassell was a lottery pick back in 2020 and, although he didn’t take the leap some thought he could last season, is still comfortably among San Antonio’s best players. Despite battling through injuries for some of the season, he almost cracked the 20 point-per-game total in 2023-24.

The five-year, $135 million, fully-guaranteed contract Vassell signed before the season naturally placed high expectations on him, but he’s proven his worth as a top offensive option for the Spurs.

Over the years. Vassell has become a more complete scorer. At Florida State, he was an elite 3-point shooter, registering a 41 percent clip from 3 in his two seasons with the Seminoles. However, he wasn’t asked to do much outside of spot-up shooting. While that aspect of Vassell’s game has greatly improved during his time in San Antonio, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich believes that there’s still more to unlock. 

"We tried to kind of convince him that he sells himself short if he just thinks of himself as a shooter,” Popovich said. “He has so much more." 

Mar 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) drives to the basket while defended by New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Jeremy Sochan also hit some rough patches last year, most of which came when Popovich tried using Sochan as a point-forward. The experiment did not pan out well, which eventually led to Tre Jones taking over as the full-time starting point guard and the Spurs drafting Stephon Castle to hopefully be the point guard of the future.

Sochan proved to be better-suited as a traditional forward, anchoring the defense on the perimeter while improving significantly as a 3-point (24.6 to 30.8 percent) and free throw shooter (69.8 to 77.1 percent).

Keldon Johnson also saw his role change last season, albeit more drastically than Sochan. The arrival of Wembanyama meant that Johnson’s days as the focal point of San Antonio’s offense was numbered.

Although Johnson was relegated to the bench in late December, he still remained one of San Antonio’s most effective scorers, averaging 15.7 points per game and is likely to take a step forward. 

Tier 3: The Rookie & The Vet

Players protected: Stephon Castle, Chris Paul

You can't have one without the other — or, you shouldn't.

In the case of Castle and Paul, the Spurs have a strong two-sided relationship they'll be looking forward to watching develop throughout the course of the season, and it makes sense why.

Castle comes to the Spurs with point guard experience from high school and shooting guard experience from UConn. He effectively showed his versatility at both positions, and while his shooting — he shot under 50 percent from the field and just 26.7 percent from 3 as a freshman — remains one of the biggest question marks, his upside is high.

Castle was taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the offseason, and while he already claims it's a "perfect position" for him, having a point guard like Paul to show him the ropes makes it better.

Jul 13, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) dribbles against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Thomas & Mack Center. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Paul might just be on a rental contract — he signed for one-year and $10.46 million with incentives — but if one thing is clear, he decided to join the Spurs with winning in mind. He isn't with the team to be a coach, as he explained, but he also knows it's part of the job as a 19-year veteran.

"I'm not here to say we're going to do this or do that," he said. "I'm not a coach. ... We all (have) to get together and make sure that we understand what our goals are."

San Antonio would undoubtedly keep Castle around as a potential point guard of the future, and if it had the chance to guarantee him a game-changing mentor, it should certainly take it.

Tier 4: Another Big Man

Players protected: Zach Collins

At first glance, Zach Collins might not be the player to protect over other, younger stars, but what he brings to the Spurs at his best is something worth taking a chance on.

Last season, Collins' exact role was in question. With Wembanyama set to join the ranks, he was either going to take a backseat to the incoming star or join him as a traditional center to a positionless big man.

As Wembanyama proved, the latter was true, though Collins still has room to grow.

October 20, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) high-fives forward Zach Collins (23) during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Standing just under 7-foot with obvious size, the center has the tools he needs to play the role of the traditional center. In a perfect world, he protects the rim alongside Wembanyama, sets screens and gets rebounds while allowing the power forward to play more guard-like.

In the real world, he averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 stocks per game — all numbers with potential to improve. Whether or not he does that is yet to be seen, but the logic behind protecting him stems from the potential he has.

The Spurs would be much better off continuing to work with Collins on playing a complementary role to Wembanyama than finding another center — especially with a scarce free agent market stemming from new franchises.

That being said, he'll get the nod.

Tier 5: The Question Is ...

Players Protected: Tre Jones or Harrison Barnes

The final protection comes down to two players. 

Whether the Spurs should keep a bona fide point guard in Tre Jones or their new veteran shooter in Harrison Barnes — a player with potential to fill a much-needed skill gap on the young team's roster — is arguably the toughest decision to make.

In this case, we'll say Jones makes the cut.

What pushes him over Barnes is comparative redundancy. At the very least, Jones and Barnes seem to be at similar places in the depth chart. Jones is competing for point guard minutes with Paul and Castle and might be third on the rung; Barnes is surrounded on the wing by Vassell, Sochan and Johnson.

Apr 9, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones (33) shoots for three during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Barnes has been in the league for almost a decade longer than Jones — his veteran presence will be especially important considering the youth of San Antonio's core — but Jones plays arguably a more valuable position than Barnes and has been with the Spurs since he was drafted in 2020.

He’s a known stabilizer at a premium position, one that better complements the stars of the Silver & Black than another wing. Plus, Jones will have a shot at taking the helm as a solid bench open should Paul eventually move on, and the Spurs are likely to be thinking long-term.

He makes eight.

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