The San Antonio Spurs have finished 15th and 14th in the Western Conference in the previous two seasons, but now that Victor Wembanyama has established himself as one of basketball’s superstars, Gregg Popovich is under increased pressure to produce a team that can compete with any opponent.
One of the Spurs’ attempts to make a leap forward was recently reported by Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. While no trade was reached, the Spurs allegedly indicated an interest in trading for Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard and Cleveland’s Darius Garland. However, just because the Spurs were unable to reach an agreement this summer does not mean that both point guards are no longer on their radar for a 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 the Spurs called various teams around the league exploring veteran guards who have yet to enter their primes. Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland was another talented ball-handler the Spurs called about.
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 cited as a potential trade possibility, but as said, the Cavaliers don’t appear keen to sell the 24-year-old All-Star.
While the Spurs signed Chris Paul this offseason, he just has a one-year deal. In addition, new rookie Stephon Castle is more likely to emerge as San Antonio’s long-term point guard. However, Fischer points out that other high-profile players, such as Trae Young and Josh Giddey, have indicated interest in joining the Spurs since Wembanyama’s arrival.
Giddey has since been traded, but Young’s future in Atlanta is still uncertain. Perhaps the sharpshooter will partner up with Wembanyama later on, but the Spurs will have no trouble finding other playmakers willing to play in San Antonio alongside the budding star.
