With the draft and free agency approaching in the next two weeks, there’s been a lot of noise as of late for the San Antonio Spurs. Let’s jump into the wrap-up for Wednesday.
The Latest Mock Drafts and Draft Buzz
Wednesday ESPN released their latest mock draft and at 11th, they had the Spurs selecting Aaron Nesmith, a 6’6″ wing from Vanderbilt.
I’ve built a database that calculates some of the latest mock drafts and finds the average draft projection for players. It looks like this:
The average pick at 11th when putting all the mocks together has the Spurs selecting Devin Vassell, a 6’6″ wing from Florida State.
Two mocks (ESPN and Tankathon) have the Spurs selecting Nesmith. NBADraft.net has the Spurs taking Vassell, while the Athletic has them selecting Isaac Okoro. The Ringer has the Spurs selecting Obi Toppin, though they haven’t updated their mock since November 3 and most others have him been being selected 5th.
According to John Hollinger of the Athletic, he’s heard the Spurs have had interest in Saddiq Bey and Patrick Williams. Bey is projected to go 15th while Williams has been improving in recent mocks and he’s now projected to go 7th on most mocks.
Hollinger also wrote that if a player isn’t there at 11th that the Spurs have on their board, they might look into seeing if they can trade down with Boston for the 14th and 26th picks.
Lastly, Hollinger notes that if Okoro or Vassell are there at 11th for San Antonio, they’d likely select one of those players.
Wednesday several first round draft prospects spoke with the media virtually and three players noted they’ve either spoken with or worked out for the Spurs.
To date, the players who have either reportedly spoken with or worked out for the Spurs are Deni Avdija (5th projection), Onyeka Okongwu (6th projection), Tyrese Haliburton (7th projection), Okoro (8th projection), Williams (8th projection), Killian Hayes (10th projection), Nesmith (14th projection), Precious Achiuwa (16th projection), Jalen Smith (17th projection), and Daniel Oturu (37th projection). The projections are based on my mock draft projection database.
As for who the Spurs will select in the second round with the 41st pick, there’s no average projection at 41, but the following players have been placed at 41st on three different mocks – Udoka Azubuike, Reggie Perry, and Grant Riller.
Lonnie Walker IV Switches Agencies
Wednesday evening Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reported Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV has switched agents to Rich Paul and Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports Group. Klutch Sports also represents Spurs Dejounte Murray and Trey Lyles, as Lowe noted.
Klutch Sports confirmed the news by welcoming Walker IV to the agency.
We are excited to welcome @lonniewalker_4! #Klutch pic.twitter.com/bnmoOXVuf4
— Klutch Sports Group (@KlutchSports) November 11, 2020
Walker IV will earn $2.9 million in the 2021 season and then the Spurs will have to decide on a $4.4 million team option for the 2022 season before that season begins. In the offseason of 22-2023, Walker IV can become a restricted free agent.
After battling for backup minutes off the bench with Marco Belinelli for most of last season before the Covid-19 pandemic, Walker IV got to start in the NBA Restart in the NBA Bubble during the summer.
Other News and Rumors
Tim Duncan will be leaving his assistant coaching position with the Spurs and the Spurs have reportedly been active in trade calls.
