Recent reports indicated that San Antonio was on the hunt for a floor general to pair with Wembanyama.
The San Antonio Spurs need a long-term option at point guard. At least, that’s the prevailing opinion. Even casual basketball fans seem to agree that San Antonio needs a player who can deliver precise entry passes or lobs to Victor Wembanyama.
Spurs General Manager Brian Wright and the front office were well aware of this need. That’s why they signed veteran point guard Chris Paul in free agency and drafted the jumbo playmaker Stephon Castle with their first pick. However, a recent report by Jake Fischer for Yahoo Sports reveals that the Spurs were initially aiming even higher.
Before signing Paul and drafting Castle, the Spurs had inquired about Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Indiana Pacers breakout star Andrew Nembhard. The Cavaliers turned down any offers for their All-Star point guard, and the Pacers recently extended Nembhard, their third-best player last year. According to Fischer, the Spurs also made calls to other NBA teams inquiring about “veteran guards who have still yet to enter their primes.”
These rumors indicate that the Spurs are keen on pairing a dynamic lead guard with Wembanyama for the long term. Both Nembhard and Garland are smaller guards who can space the floor and play with or without the ball. When these attempts didn’t materialize, San Antonio opted for the short-term solution in Paul, who can hold the position until a long-term option is secured. Castle demonstrated patient pick-and-roll play and solid floor vision in his three Summer League games, suggesting he could eventually become their point guard of the future. However, he still needs to work on creating offensive advantages off the dribble and improving his jump shot, so he will need time to develop.
Interestingly, the Spurs Insider Podcast reported that San Antonio had Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard ranked above Castle on their draft board. Sheppard played a more traditional combo guard role with the Wildcats, shooting above 50% from three while acting as one of their primary playmakers. Nembhard, Garland, and Sheppard are all young guards who can shoot, run the pick-and-roll, and hold their own defensively—traits that San Antonio wants in a guard to pair with Wembanyama.
This also raises the question: why wasn’t there a more serious pursuit of Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young this summer? When Atlanta traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans, it seemed like they might tear the team down and rebuild after getting the number one pick in the draft. San Antonio owns the Hawks’ 2025 and 2027 unprotected picks, which they could use to acquire the All-Star guard. The lack of interest might show how much the Spurs value those picks or indicate concerns about Young’s turnovers (4.4 a game) and poor defense.
The point guard position remains a critical issue for the future of the Spurs roster. A rotation of Paul, Tre Jones, and Castle will be an improvement over last season. However, none of them have proven to be the long-term solution yet. Castle’s development will be crucial to watch this season. If he looks more like an off-ball player, as he did at UCONN, the Spurs might still explore the trade market or free agency.
After all, who wouldn’t want to throw lobs to Wemby?
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