Ranking the San Antonio Spurs' Biggest Priorities During 2015 Offseason
The San Antonio Spurs have a handful of priorities that need to be addressed during the coming summer months, but some components of the offseason are more important than others.
If the veterans return, the front office may be forced to abandon a couple of big-name free agents because the Spurs are strapped for cash before the salary cap rises in 2016. If the stalwarts retire, San Antonio needs to replace them via free agency by building depth.
But no matter what happens on that front, the team absolutely must re-sign a rising superstar to a long-term deal.
Considering that the future of the franchise hinges on certain decisions, the Spurs need to be prepared for Plans A, B, C, D and maybe even E.
5. Draft a Swingman or Combo Guard
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Drafting 26th overall, the Spurs will be hard-pressed to find an immediate-impact prospect. However, the franchise can still snag a player to develop for a significant role in 2016-17.
Cory Joseph (restricted) and Marco Belinelli (unrestricted) could sign elsewhere in free agency, and their skill sets—ball control and defense for Joseph, long-distance shooting for Belinelli—are the easiest to replace.
Plus, San Antonio has not recently had a true backup for Kawhi Leonard at small forward, a second-string spot that Belinelli, a shooting guard, has occupied.
Kyle Anderson spent most of his rookie campaign in the D-League and may assume a bigger role next year. So depending on the position the Spurs envision Anderson playing—since he could be a 2-guard or a 3—they should grab a complement in the 2015 NBA draft.
Names to watch include Utah's Delon Wright and UCLA's Norman Powell, Virginia's Justin Anderson and Georgia State's R.J. Hunter, among others. Wright and Powell are similar players to Joseph, while Anderson (a small forward) and Hunter are potential marksmen.
4. Retool the Bench
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Following the first-round exit from the postseason, coach Gregg Popovich said the roster will change, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
"The team will probably look considerably different than it looks this year, because we have so many free agents and we want to retool a little bit," Popovich said. "We want to try to start—not exactly over again—because these last four seasons have been a grind."
In addition to Manu Ginobili, according to HoopsHype, six reserves—Joseph, Belinelli, Aron Baynes, Matt Bonner, Jeff Ayres and Reggie Williams—are free agents.
Joseph may have played himself out of San Antonio after averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists while Tony Parker was sporadically available in December.
Belinelli would be a solid re-signing but isn't irreplaceable, though Baynes should be retained because of a thin draft class and mediocre free-agent group. Bonner, Ayres and Williams don't bring much to the table, so they may be headed for the door.
The free-agent outlook will become clearer after both teams and players exercise their respective options, but look for the Spurs to be active in the open market.
3. Make Decisions on Danny Green, High-Profile Free Agents
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Should he stay, or should he go? Or, more poignantly, can San Antonio afford to keep Danny Green?
In today's NBA, three-point specialists are of the highest demand. Sharpshooters who provide close-to-elite perimeter defense—as Green does—are worth eight figures. There's no doubt that teams will offer him an appealing monetary figure, but the Spurs should try to keep Green.
But if the front office wants to chase Marc Gasol or LaMarcus Aldridge, the two big-name free agents of 2015, it may come at the expense of Green.
Green has connected on at least 41.5 percent of his trifecta attempts during each of the last four seasons. While that trend seems like a lock to continue, the question is whether or not it will predominantly occur in San Antonio.
2. Get Official Answers from Manu and Duncan
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Chronologically, this priority arrives before the decisions on Green, Gasol and Aldridge, but the futures of both Ginobili and Tim Duncan will help determine what the Spurs choose to do regarding the trio.
Now, according to Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher, the team is planning for Ginobili and Duncan to return for the 2015-16 season, but San Antonio is prepared to spend money in free agency.
The Spurs can exceed the salary cap in order to re-sign players, which would be a necessary step on the impending offseason journey if either Manu or Duncan returns—even more so if they both do.
Either way, however, San Antonio needs to know what it's dealing with. Retooling is apparently inevitable, but the Spurs need to know how much they'll have to retool.
They'll have that answer once the veterans decide to lace 'em up—or to hang 'em up.
1. Lock Up Kawhi Leonard
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The fourth-year small forward wasn't able to match his 2014 NBA Finals MVP performance this time around, but Dan McCarney of the Express-News notes that it won't change Leonard's future in San Antonio:
"[A lackluster playoff performance] doesn't minimize Leonard’s immense progress, nor will it prevent the Spurs from gladly ponying up the max contract he seeks. (A restricted free agent, Leonard isn't interested in leaving or signing a one-year offer sheet.)"
After posting a league-best 96 defensive rating during the regular season, Leonard managed a 106 mark against the Los Angeles Clippers. Nevertheless, if isn't the matter in question regarding the long-term contract for Kawhi; it's merely when the deal gets signed.
Since the Spurs, as mentioned earlier, can exceed the $67.1 million salary cap, per Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, to re-sign a player, they'll likely wait as long as possible to sign Leonard because it makes the most business sense.
But, undoubtedly, San Antonio's No. 1 priority this offseason is locking up Kawhi for five more seasons.
Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of May 19.
Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.
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