San Antonio Spurs

Free-agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is looking to speak with the San Antonio Spurs once the negotiating period begins Monday, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

A source told Orsborn that Oubre thinks “his game would flourish under the direction of Gregg Popovich and the team’s developmental staff” were he to sign with San Antonio.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer listed the Spurs along with the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Miami Heat as teams that may pursue the 25-year-old.

Speaking with HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, Oubre laid out what will factor into where he decides to play next year:

I’m really just looking to make the best decision with my team and my family, that’s best for us. Obviously, I want to be a leader, and I want to continue to expand my game, grow and spread my wings. I want to continue to show all the things I’m capable of and not be put in a box. I felt like the universe was trying to put me in a box last year. It’s something that always clashes because it’s a big deal whenever I’m trying to be put in a box because I can’t be put in a box.

DeMar DeRozan is a free agent after leading the Spurs in scoring (21.6 points) last year. San Antonio may lose Rudy Gay, who put up 11.4 points per game, as well. DeRozan's departure in particular would create an obvious void in the team's rotation, one that Oubre would likely fill.

The 6'7" forward seemed to allude to the fact that his time with the Golden State Warriors didn't go to plan. He averaged 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds after having put up career highs in points (18.7) and rebounds (6.4) for the Phoenix Suns in 2019-20. His three-point percentage also fell from 35.2 to 31.6.

The Spurs are in a difficult spot.

Rebuilding is probably off the table as long as 72-year-old Gregg Popovich is the head coach. At the same time, San Antonio doesn't have a roster that can reasonably deliver a championship, either.

Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and Derrick White have all worked out nicely as draft picks toward the end of the first round. None of the three is a true cornerstone along the lines of Tim Duncan or Kawhi Leonard, though.

Based on what he has done so far, Oubre doesn't fit that role either, but he'd at least help San Antonio continue to contend for the playoffs. Because of his age, he could also stick around for any transition the organization makes in a post-Popovich era.

In their quest to add more ball-handlers to the roster, the Los Angeles Lakers might find a suitable trade partner in San Antonio. 

Per NBA reporter Marc Stein, the San Antonio Spurs are "believed to have interest" in acquiring Kyle Kuzma as part of a sign-and-trade that would involve sending DeMar DeRozan to Los Angeles.

The Lakers have been rumored to be involved with virtually every marquee player who will be available this summer. 

Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reported last week the Lakers and LeBron James "have been on the hunt for a veteran point guard" with Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook mentioned as potential options. 

Unless the Lakers could shed significant salary in a trade, the odds of landing either Paul or Westbrook seem remote. 

Paul can become a free agent this season by opting out of his deal, with B/R's Eric Pincus reporting last month that the 11-time All-Star wants a multiyear contract "in the vicinity of $100 million."

Westbrook is owed $44.2 million in 2021-22 and has a $47.1 million player option for 2022-23. 

The Lakers already have $116.9 million in salary commitments next season with only seven players under contract.

Dennis Schroder's impending free agency is a major storyline in Los Angeles. He was very good during the regular season, averaging 15.4 points and 5.8 assists per game in 61 starts. The 27-year-old struggled in the postseason, with a 40 percent field-goal percentage and 2.8 assists per game in six starts vs. the Phoenix Suns. 

DeRozan has been a reliable scorer throughout his career. He's averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the past eight seasons. The four-time All-Star has turned into a much better facilitator recently, averaging 5.9 assists per game since the start of the 2017-18 season. 

Kuzma has been frequently mentioned as a potential trade candidate for years. The 26-year-old signed a three-year, $39 million extension in December that includes a player option for the 2023-24 season. He averaged 12.9 points per game and shot 36.1 percent from three-point range last season. 

The Lakers are looking to upgrade their roster after a first-round playoff exit. They could also stand to add more depth after James and Anthony Davis missed significant time in the second half of the season because of injuries.    

The San Antonio Spurs own the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, but they are reportedly looking to move into the top 10.

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated reported the news Monday but noted the Spurs could very well stick with the 12th pick.

"Sources say the Spurs have angled to move up in the draft and into the top 10," Woo wrote in a mock draft. "They have historically been content to stand pat on draft night, however, and the better bet may be San Antonio making a pick here."

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman's latest mock draft had the Spurs taking combo guard Josh Giddey of the Adelaide 36ers, who play in the National Basketball League in Australia.

Two other mocks of the 12 aggregated by Drew Packham of NBA.com had the Spurs picking Giddey, who averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game last season.

Arkansas' Moses Moody has also been connected to San Antonio. Moody said he had "a good meeting" with the team at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and that he would look forward to playing for five-time NBA champion head coach Gregg Popovich, per Jeff Garcia of Spurs Zone.

The Spurs finished 33-39 last season and 10th in the Western Conference. They missed the playoffs for the second straight year after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening game of the play-in tournament.  Prior to 2019-20, the Spurs had made the playoffs in 22 straight seasons.

On the bright side, they have a young nucleus—featuring Keldon Johnson, Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV and Derrick White—to build around. Adding another lottery pick to that group will provide optimism that the team can return to the playoffs in 2022.

Veteran swingman DeMar DeRozan is generating interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, according to The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears.

Spears reported Monday on The Jump that a return to the San Antonio Spurs isn't out of the question, either.

The 31-year-old spent one season at USC and is a native of Compton, California, so a move to either Los Angeles franchise would get him back home. 

DeRozan's time with the Toronto Raptors showed he was miscast as the No. 1 star on a team with championship aspirations. In more of a supporting role, he's a fit on almost any contender in the league.

The four-time All-Star averaged 21.6 points and 6.9 assists last year with the Spurs. He also shot 49.5 percent from the field, though his 25.7 percent clip on three-pointers raises some concerns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0XVvBylu4U

Although DeRozan is only a 28.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc, his efficiency might improve if he's the third or fourth scoring option.

His assist percentage (28.4) in San Antonio was also substantially higher than when he was in Toronto (15.9 percent), per Basketball Reference, another positive indicator as to his suitability on a roster with plenty of scoring punch already.

The Lakers (Anthony Davis) and Clippers (Kawhi Leonard) both saw key players injured in the playoffs, which contributed to their respective exits. But the postseason also showed how even top-heavy teams can benefit from having a secondary scorer who can create his own shot on occasion.

That's an area DeRozan can address for next year.

Team USA basketball players have reportedly been "grumbling" about running head coach Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs offense at the Tokyo Olympics.

Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported the star-studded roster is "frustrated" and believes there are "better ideas" to get the offense going, while Popovich is "horrified" by Team USA's recent struggles, including a loss to France in its Olympic opener Sunday.

The U.S. getting upset by a France squad featuring Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier didn't come as a surprise to those who tracked its pre-Tokyo exhibition games.

Popovich's group suffered losses to Nigeria and Australia while going 2-2 during its warm-up schedule, and the squad never looked ready to steamroll the competition at the Olympics like prior versions of Team USA.

The offense continued to look out of sorts against France. The Americans shot just 36 percent from the field (25-of-69), including 31 percent on threes (10-of-32), and nobody emerged as the go-to player in crunch time despite the roster being filled with NBA All-Stars.

"I think that's a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the ball and win," Popovich told reporters. "I mean, we've got to work for it just like everybody else."

The Spurs' offense is predicated on ball movement, and when it works—as it so often did during the era of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili—it can be borderline unstoppable. That's why Popovich is the owner of five NBA championships and 3 NBA Coach of the Year Awards.

However, trying to implement such a system in a short period of time, with most of the players coming from offenses wherein they are a top scoring options, is a tricky task.

The question may be whether it's too late to try something else or if Team USA will be all-in on the Spurs-style attack with their chances of winning the gold medal—often a fait accompli in Olympics past—fading with each lackluster performance.

The games against Iran on Wednesday and the Czech Republic on Saturday should give the U.S. a chance to experiment with different offensive sets if the coaching staff wants to. Team USA can't afford another upset if it wants to guarantee a quarterfinal berth, though.

It's possible the offense finally clicks during the final two games of pool play and Team USA proceeds to waltz to another gold medal. If that happens, all of the struggles leading up to this point of frustration within the squad will be forgotten.

That's far from a sure thing, however, and the pressure is clearly beginning to mount within the U.S. locker room.

The Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to be among the teams to pursue restricted free agent John Collins this summer.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported those four teams could target Collins with an offer sheet to lure him from Atlanta. The Hawks will have the opportunity to match any offer given to Collins, but it remains to be seen if they're willing to meet open-market prices.

Charania reported Collins may have played his way into max-contract status, which would be $125.9 million over four years for a non-Hawks team. Collins has been open about his desire for a max deal, saying the Hawks especially should reward him for his improvement. 

"When we're talking max numbers and money, I feel like I definitely [am in] the conversation to have earned that money with the Hawks specifically, but obviously I know there's business and we don't always get exactly what we want," Collins said in May, per Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "But I want to be a Hawk. I want to stay with the Hawks.

The conversation regarding Atlanta's willingness to pay Collins the max may have changed after the Hawks' surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals. It would not be a surprise if management emphasized talent retention no matter the cost. The Hawks would also likely struggle to replace Collins if they allowed him to walk, so this may be a matter of the team having to match any offer sheet he receives.

It's unlikely that Collins is a top priority for any of the teams mentioned in free agency; he's almost certainly a backup in case they miss out on bigger stars on the open market. Collins' free agency may wind up lasting well past the first week of August as he tries to maximize his value. 

Becky Hammon interviewed for the Portland Trail Blazers' head coaching vacancy, but she knew all along Chauncey Billups was the favorite for the job.

"I knew I was second; I knew who they wanted," Hammon told Jabari Young of CNBC. "And I’m OK with that, because every race I’ve gotten into my entire life, I’ve been behind, and I’m OK with that. And that’s just how it is—but at the same time, I’m not ignorant to what I’m going up against."

Billups was announced as the Trail Blazers' new coach on June 27, replacing Terry Stotts. 

The hire wasn't a surprise in NBA circles with Billups and Jason Kidd considered the top two candidates right out of the gate, per Jason Quick and Shams Charania of The Athletic. All-Star guard Damian Lillard also approved of the duo once Stotts was fired.

Once Jason Kidd took himself out of the running—he was eventually hired by the Dallas Mavericks—it seemingly became Billups' job to lose.

Hammon thought the interviews were still "authentic," while general manager Neil Olshey praised the San Antonio Spurs assistant for her work during the process.

"We obviously admire Becky," Olshey told reporters. "She did a great job. Making it as far as the owner in the process isn’t easy. She made it all the way to the ownership level, which is an endorsement."

It still wasn't enough for her to become the first woman head coach in NBA history.

Hammon, meanwhile, isn't upset about how things worked out with Portland.

"I'm not mad," she said. "This is the business, and it’s a very competitive business. But, at the end of the day, throw everything out the window—if you want to hire me, you'll find a reason to hire me. And if you don't want to hire me, you'll find that reason, too. And that's just that."

The former WNBA All-Star has spent the past seven years as an assistant coach working under Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

The pair of Dejounte Murray and Derrick White "could both be gettable" in trades with the San Antonio Spurs, according to The Athletic's Zach Harper.

Moving one or both players could help the Spurs move up from the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected them to take Australian guard Josh Giddey.

Murray and White are emblematic of San Antonio's biggest problems.

Murray averaged 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season. White put up 15.4 points per game while shooting 34.6 percent from the field. While both are solid players, neither is good enough to be the cornerstone of a franchise.

That's an issue for the Spurs after they missed the playoffs for the second straight season and have DeMar DeRozan hitting free agency.

Even if younger players such as Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker IV and Devin Vassell take a step forward in the next year or two, the organization is at risk of getting stuck on the dreaded treadmill of mediocrity—or an only slightly improved version of that.

Being pretty good isn't enough to make a deep run in the current Western Conference.

Gregg Popovich turned 72 in January, so selling him on a full-scale rebuild might be tough. But that may also be the Spurs' best chance back to an NBA championship since they aren't a marquee free-agent destination despite the success they've enjoyed under Popovich.

In the event the front office didn't leverage Murray and/or White into better draft position, a swap could net San Antonio a veteran who raises the team's ceiling in the short term, thus kicking the can down the road.

DeMar DeRozan wasn't ready to think about his future plans following the San Antonio Spurs' season-ending loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday night. 

Speaking to reporters after the game, DeRozan said he had no thoughts about his impending free agency because he wanted to help his teammates keep their heads up after the 100-96 defeat.

San Antonio finished 10th in the Western Conference with a 33-39 record. It missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year following 22 straight appearances from 1998 to 2019. 

DeRozan, who just finished his third season with the Spurs, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

There's been speculation about his future with the organization dating back to last offseason. 

One anonymous NBA agent told The Athletic's Ben Standig and Mike Vorkunov in October that DeRozan "doesn’t like San Antonio and doesn’t want to be there."

The four-time All-Star disputed that report during training camp in December. 

"If something doesn't come out of my mouth, I advise don't believe it," DeRozan told reporters.

Head coach Gregg Popovich has expressed a high opinion of DeRozan's contributions to the organization. 

"He deserved to be on the All-Star team, in my opinion," Popovich told reporters in February. "He's helped us win, put us in good position. He's scored; he's distributed the basketball; his leadership's been amazing."

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that the Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are among the teams that could look for a scorer this offseason and have cap space to sign a player like DeRozan. 

The Spurs acquired DeRozan from the Toronto Raptors in July 2018 as part of the Kawhi Leonard trade. He has been a reliable starter in San Antonio for the past three seasons. 

DeRozan averaged 21.6 points on 50.1 percent shooting and 6.2 assists in 206 starts with the Spurs. 

Given how many stars signed extensions with their current teams last offseason, DeRozan will likely be one of the best players available in free agency this summer. He's only 31 years old and an effective scorer who became a better distributor during his time with the Spurs.  

Jonas Valanciunas' dominant 23-point, 23-rebound performance guided the Memphis Grizzlies to a 100-96 home win over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at FedEx Forum in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

Dillon Brooks scored a game-high 24 points, and Ja Morant posted 20 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 21 points in the first quarter.

However, the Spurs went on a 17-0 second-quarter run to cut the Memphis lead to 41-39. The Grizzlies were able to maintain their lead until the fourth quarter, when the Spurs took an 80-79 edge after a DeMar DeRozan bucket.

Brooks took over from that point, though, scoring Memphis' next eight points. A Kyle Anderson three-pointer and a Valanciunas putback layup later gave Memphis 94-87 with 3:19 remaining.

The Spurs didn't go away quietly, though, with Rudy Gay drilling a three-pointer with 9.3 seconds left to close Memphis' advantage to 99-96.

Morant hit 1-of-2 free throws in response, and a desperation Gay three-pointer to slash the lead to one with time running out bounced off the rim.

DeRozan co-led the Spurs with 20 points but shot just 5-of-21 from the field. Gay had 20 of his own, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. Dejounte Murray added a 10-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double.

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Notable Performances

Grizzlies C Jonas Valanciunas: 23 points, 23 rebounds, 3 blocks

Grizzles PG Ja Morant: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

Grizzlies G Dillon Brooks: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

Spurs F DeMar DeRozan: 20 points

Spurs G Dejounte Murray: 10 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists

Spurs F Rudy Gay: 20 points, 7 rebounds

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Valanciunas Pilots Grizzlies in a Throwback Game

The Spurs and Grizzlies engaged in a rock fight on Wednesday.

San Antonio missed 63 field goals, with DeRozan and Murray combining to shoot 9-of-38. Meanwhile, all Memphis players outside the Morant-Valanciunas-Brooks trio scored just 33 points on 12-of-33 shooting.

The video of this game won't be conserved for its beautiful offensive basketball, but that suited Valanciunas just fine, who cleaned the glass and did the dirty work down low to give the Grizzlies the win.

The Morant-Valanciunas connection clicked early:

QB12 🥽@JaMorant | @JValanciunas pic.twitter.com/8XSeye9c10

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) May 19, 2021

He later did some low-post work himself, backing down Poeltl before nailing a bucket:

tomato chest 🍅

16 points & 12 rebounds already for @JValanciunas #GrzNxtGen | #NxtUpMemphis pic.twitter.com/4i4mUxm9VW

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) May 20, 2021

The Lithuanian had 16 points and 15 rebounds at halftime, and his impact couldn't be understated, with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic providing this stat:

The Grizzlies in 19 minutes with Valanciunas on the floor in the first half: +26

The Grizzlies in 5 minutes with Valanciunas off the floor in the first half: -19

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) May 20, 2021

Valanciunas kept it going in the third quarter, ending that frame with 21 points and 20 rebounds.

.@JValanciunas is the first player in @memgrizz history to post 20+ points and 20+ rebounds through three quarters in a regular season or postseason game.

Per @EliasSports, the only other player to accomplish the feat this season was Domantas Sabonis (Jan. 9 vs. Phoenix). pic.twitter.com/TVNRtSdtDP

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) May 20, 2021

Games with 20+ points and 20+ rebounds in @memgrizz franchise history (incl. regular season, play-in and postseason):

Zach Randolph - 12
Jonas Valančiūnas - 6 (incl. tonight)
Shareef Abdur-Rahim - 3
Marc Gasol - 1
Lorenzen Wright - 1
Othella Harrington - 1 pic.twitter.com/d8Sx7lC2mB

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) May 20, 2021

In the fourth quarter, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft also had one of the game's biggest buckets, grabbing an offensive board and putting the layup back home to give Memphis a 94-87 edge.

Valanciunas FIGHTING for that second-chance bucket 😤 pic.twitter.com/R66qzHOWha

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 20, 2021

Valanciunas ended up posting his fourth 20-20 game of the season, per StatMuse:

Jonas Valanciunas tonight:

23 PTS
23 REB
3 BLK
10-16 FG

It’s his 4th 20/20 game this season, the most in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/7I8fYaWgvU

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 20, 2021

Morant complimented his teammate's stat line after the game:

"A hell of a stat" - Ja Morant on Jonas Valanciunas' 23 points and 23 rebounds.

— Evan Barnes (@evan_b) May 20, 2021

And ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks gave credit where it was due:

One of the more under appreciated players in the NBA

Jonas Valanciunas

The MVP of this Memphis team this season.

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) May 20, 2021

In the end, it was natural for an ugly, defense-oriented game to be dominated by a big man in a throwback to 1990s basketball. Valanciunas answered the bell on Wednesday, and now Memphis is one win away from the playoffs.

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Spurs' Offensive Woes Too Much To Overcome

The Grizzlies-Spurs game looked like it would be following the blueprint of the Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers play-in game from the night before, when Indiana took a 40-24 lead after one quarter en route to winning 144-117.

Memphis took a 38-17 lead in the first quarter and looked like it would cruise to an easy win, but the Spurs fought back and gave the Grizzlies a serious scare, with this Keldon Johnson putback capping a 17-0 run:

Keldon Johnson putback 🔨

Spurs back in it

(via @NBATV)https://t.co/VUHZRMLXgb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 20, 2021

San Antonio's bench was exceptional in particular, with the reserves outscoring Memphis' second unit 37-14.

In addition, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News noted, Murray didn't shoot well (4-of-17) but he deserves kudos for making an impact on this game otherwise thanks to his triple-double.

Dejounte Murray has his 5th triple-double of the season, the most in a season by a Spurs player since David Robinson in 1993-94. pic.twitter.com/xl3bAU5EJw

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 20, 2021

Poeltl also had five blocked shots, enabling the Spurs to hang around.

However, the Spurs' night simply boils down to the fact that teams aren't going to win many games shooting 35.1 percent from the field.

San Antonio shot just 27-of-75 from two-point range, too, and that isn't a recipe for success.

A few too many rotation members had off-nights. This wasn't DeRozan's best effort, as the mid-range king missed 10-of-11 first-half field goals. Lonnie Walker IV went just 2-of-8, and Patty Mills was relatively quiet, scoring just three points in the second half.

This game was there for the taking for the Spurs, whose excellent defensive effort held the Grizzlies to just 62 points in the final three quarters.

But San Antonio didn't make enough shots down the stretch to finish the comeback effort, leading to the Spurs missing out on the playoffs in consecutive seasons for just the first time in franchise history.

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What's Next?

Memphis will visit the Golden State Warriors, who lost 103-100 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the other Western Conference play-in matchup Wednesday.

The Grizzlies' matchup against the Warriors will take place Friday at Chase Center in San Francisco. The winner of Friday's game will be the Western Conference's No. 8 seed and open the postseason against the No. 1 Utah Jazz beginning Sunday.

San Antonio's season is over.