Destiny Arrives.

[Soapy]

Pelicans trade Zion Williamson to Spurs in blockbuster trade
Zion Williamson is headed to the San Antonio Spurs, the team announced on Thursday night. Williamson is the key piece of a blockbuster trade that sees San Antonio sending veteran forward Harrison Barnes, the 25th overall pick in this year's draft and three future first round picks in 2027, 2028 and 2029. San Antonio still has the fourteenth overall selection in this year's draft and an additional first round pick in the 2027 draft, acquired in a previous trade with Atlanta.

Williamson, 25, has struggled with injuries since his entry into the league as a coveted number one overall selection. Williamson missed the entire 2021-2022 season and has played over sixty games in a season just twice in his six years in the league.

He was an All-Star in 2021 and 2023, where he averaged over twenty six points per game and seven rebounds in those seasons, shooting over sixty percent from the field. He played in only 33 games last year, averaging a career low 18 points per game and six rebounds and shot only 22 percent from three.

The Spurs are certainly taking a big gamble on Williamson, their culture and their medical staff but are pairing two of the most coveted prospects in recent history in Williamson and Victor Wembenyama.

[Caesar]

Zion gonna go into a depression in San Antonio away from the 45 year old porn stars in or coming to New Orleans

[The JZA]

No more gumbo and po'boys for Zion, just veggie tacos and chimichangas

[Soapy]

Zion gonna go into a depression in San Antonio away from the 45 year old porn stars in or coming to New Orleans

No more gumbo and po'boys for Zion, just veggie tacos and chimichangas

he gonna be on them tortas!

[Soapy]

San Antonio Spurs' need for shooting, spacing even more pressing following trade for Zion Williamson
The San Antonio Spurs entered the offseason with loading up their arsenal of outside shooters as a major priority and that was before they traded away Harrison Barnes, a solid three point shooter, in their pursuit of Zion Williamson.

While Williamson and Victor Wembenyama could combine for sixty points in the paint alone on a given night, Williamson does little to solve San Antonio's spacing problem as playing Williamson, Wembenyama and Jeremy Sochan together does present some spacing problems, even with Wembenyama's improved three-point shooting during his sophomore year.

The Spurs still have their fourteenth overall selection, putting them in position to land one of the draft's top shooters who were all on display at the NBA Draft Combine. Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako certainly stood out with his shooting and size at six-foot-eight and his ability to be effective off the ball. He might be a bit of a reach inside the top fifteen but size and shooting is a premium in the NBA and he does fit what the Spurs need.

Another option would be to get a ball handler that's also a good shooter, allowing Stephon Castle to remain as a two or three. Arkansas' Boogie Fland would fit that mold as one of the better shooters at the Combine and an effective playmaker as well, averaging 5.4 assists last year for Coach Cal's Razorbacks.

The pipe dream of course would be someone like Hugo Gonzalez or Tre Johnson to fall outside of the top ten and be there for San Antonio at No. 14. It's tough to see that for Johnson who some view as perhaps the player with the most 'boom' potential in the draft with his abilities as a natural scorer.

[Soapy]

Could James Harden be the missing piece for the San Antonio Spurs?
While a ton of attention is on the upcoming draft, it's very unlikely that for the third straight year, the San Antonio Spurs are going to be able to draft an instant impact player like they've done with Jeremy Sochan, Victor Wembenyama and Stephon Castle. If the Spurs are looking to get over the hump, as well as replace the loss of Chris Paul, they'll need to take their chances in free agency and the options are plenty.

A polarizing option is James Harden, the 35-year old former MVP that averaged seventeen points per game for the Clippers. While Harden is a long way from his Houston Rockets MVP days, he would still present an upgrade for the Spurs at the point guard position and provide some much needed instant offense to alleviate the pressure from Wembenyama, Castle, Vassell and now Zion Williamson. Admittedly, culture wise, not sure if Harden is a fit, especially as the team is trying to integrate Williamson into the franchise.

A more tame approach might be Lonzo Ball who defends well and provides some playmaking, as well as scoring, without being as ball dominant as Harden is. While the Spurs do need scoring, they also need to balance out the dynamic of three players in Vassell, Williamson and Wembenyama who are budding young stars that are going to want touches and shots. Ball is a more seamless transition from Paul as opposed to Harden, even if Harden is the better player.

There are other similar guards like Ball in the market such as Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and Dyson Daniels as well as Tre Jones, who the Spurs are interested in re-signing.
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Notable NBA Free Agents
Guard
---Kyrie Irving
---James Harden
---Fred VanVleet
---D'Angelo Russell
---Lonzo Ball
---Dennis Schroder
---Tyus Jones
---Tre Jones
---Bruce Brown
---Kevin Porter Jr.

Forward
---LeBron James
---Jimmy Butler
---Khris Middleton
---Kelly Oubre Jr.
---Bojan Bogdanovic
---Precious Achiuwa
---Dorian Finney-Smith
---Taurean Prince
---Gary Payton II

Center
---Naz Reid
---Clint Capela
---John Collins
---Brook Lopez
---Steven Adams
---Kevin Looney
---Marvin Bagley III
---Mason Plumlee

[Soapy]

San Antonio Spurs select Tre Johnson with 14th overall pick following draft slide
With the fourteenth pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected Tre Johnson out of Texas.

A projected top ten pick and once a dark horse for the top five, Johnson is arguably one of the more exciting players available in the draft and was once considered a longshot to rival Cooper Flagg for the top selection after a hot start for the Longhorns.

Widely considered the best pure scorer in the draft, Johnson is a dynamic offensive player with the ability to create his own shoot and score at all three levels. He should instantly become one of San Antonio's top shooters and has shown the ability to be effective off the ball as well. Down the stretch, he was the primarily ball handler for a struggling Texas team and he understands angles and how to navigate the flow of the offense to generate looks he likes.

While at this moment it's unclear why Johnson slid in the draft, there are concerns regarding his wiry frame at 185 pounds and his effectiveness on defense. A former five-star prospect, Johnson has gone through a familiar arc of early enthusiasm and then, inevitably, nitpicking as more and more tape on him accumulated. For the Spurs, however, he fits exactly what they need right now as they try to build an offense around the pairing of Victor Wembenyama and Zion Williamson.

2025 NBA Draft Selections
1. Detroit ‣ F Cooper Flagg, Duke
2. Washington ‣ F Ace Bailey, Washington
3. New Orleans ‣ G Nolan Traoe, France
4. Utah ‣ G Dylan Harper, Rutgers
5. Brooklyn ‣ F Egor Demin, BYU
6. Charlotte ‣ C Khadeen Maluach, Duke
7. Portland ‣ G V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor
8. Miami ‣ G Ian Jackson, North Carolina
9. Atlanta (via LAL) ‣ G Hugo Gonzalez, Spain
10. Chicago ‣ F Carter Bryant, Arizona
11. Memphis ‣ F Michael Ruzic, Spain
12. Golden State ‣ G Mikey Williams, UCF
13. Oklahoma City (via PHI) ‣ F Alex Karaban, Connecticut
14. San Antonio ‣ G Tre Johnson, Texas
15. Orlando ‣ G Jalil Bethea, Miami
16. Houston ‣ G Drake Powell, North Carolina
17. Brooklyn (via MIL) ‣ F Noa Essengue, France
18. Brooklyn (via PHX) ‣ G Lian McNealy, Connecticut
19. Utah (via CLE) ‣ C Rocky Zikarsky, Australia
20. Boston ‣ G Boogie Fland, Arkansas
21. Oklahoma City (via LAC) ‣ G Dink Pate, G-League Ignite
22. Orlando (via DEN) ‣ C Zvonimir Ivisic, Arkansas
23. Indiana ‣ G Ben Saraf, Israel
24. Brooklyn (via NY) ‣ F Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
25. San Antonio (via ATL) ‣ C Aaron Bradshaw, Ohio State
26. Atlanta (via SAC) ‣ G Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana
27. Toronto ‣ G Josan Sanon, Arizona State
28. Dallas ‣ F Kwame Evans Jr, Oregon
29. Golden State (via MIN) ‣ F Kanaan Catchings, BYU
30. LA Clippers (via OKC) ‣ G Isaiah Evans, Duke

2025 NBA Draft Trades
Jazz Receive: Top 10 protected 2026 first round pick, F Kyle Anderson
Warriors Receive: 29th overall pick, C Drew Eubanks

[Soapy]

San Antonio Spurs continue their international pipeline with selection of Spain's Izan Almansa
The San Antonio Spurs have used their second round pick on Spanish big man Izan Almansa, a move that aligns with their storied history of finding international talent.

Almansa, a 6'10" forward/center, gained recognition as one of the top European prospects in his age group. Hailing from Murcia, Spain, the 20-year-old has a well-rounded game characterized by high basketball IQ, strong rebounding instincts, and a relentless motor. He starred for the Perth Wildcats this past season after brief stints in Overtime Elite and G-League Ignite, gaining invaluable experience against older, more physically developed competition.

In 48 games with the Ignite, Almansa averaged 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game on 54.3 percent shooting. He improved on those numbers in Australia, averaging 12.8 points, 10.1 rebound sand an impressive 2.3 blocks per game with the Wildcats.

2025 NBA Draft Second Round Selections
1. Minnesota ‣ F Donnie Freeman, Syracuse
2. Boston ‣ G Dame Sarr, Italy
3. Brooklyn ‣ F Tyon Grant-Foster, Grand Canyon
4. Indiana ‣ F J.T. Toppin, New Mexico
5. Golden State ‣ C Florian Bidunga, Kansas
6. Charlotte ‣ G Adou Thiero, Arkansas
7. Sacramento ‣ G Konrad Knueppel, Duke
8. Brooklyn ‣ G Garwey Dual, Seton Hall
9. LA Lakers ‣ F Johni Broome, Auburn
10. Orlando ‣ G Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
11. New York ‣ G Michael Ajavon, Gonzaga
12. San Antonio ‣ F Izan Almansa, Spain
13. Cleveland ‣ G Carter Knox, Arkansas
14. Detroit ‣ G Jaylin Stewart, Connecticut
15. Washington ‣ C Xavier Booker, Michigan State
16. Dallas ‣ F Jaren Stevenson, Alabama
17. Cleveland ‣ C Carey Booth, Illinois
18. Washington ‣ G Kam Jones, Marquette
19. Detroit ‣ F Trevon Brazile, Arkansas
20. Orlando ‣ G Adama Bal, Santa Clara
21. LA Lakers ‣ G Mark Sears, Alabama
22. Houston ‣ F Sam Thomas, USC
23. Charlotte ‣ G Hamed Moiso, Dayton
24. Chicago ‣ G Payton Sandfort, Iowa
25. Oklahoma City ‣ G Caleb Foster, Duke
26. New York ‣ G Thierry Darlan, Senegal
27. Indiana ‣ G D.J. Wagner, Arkansas
28. Detroit ‣ F Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
29. Dallas ‣ C Monte Krivosheev, Arizona
30. Atlanta ‣ G Nic Clifford, Colorado State

[Soapy]

San Antonio Spurs decline option for Blake Wesley, accept team options for Victor Wembenyama, Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham
The San Antonio Spurs accepted team options for Victor Wembenyama, Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham while declining the team option for Blake Wesley, turning the first round pick into a free agent.

It's a two-year option for Wembenyama who will make $13.38 million this year and $16.87 million next year before likely signing his super-max extension. For Sochan and Branham, it's a slight salary bump to $7.10 million for Sochan, a top ten pick in 2022, and $4.96 million for Branham who was drafted top twenty.

The Spurs are now officially over the cap but do hold bird rights for Wesley, Tre Jones and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Other notable options were LeBron James and Kyrie Irving both declining their respective player options to hit free agency while Jimmy Butler, James Harden and Khris Middleton opted in.

[Soapy]

San Antonio signs Lonzo Ball, re-sign Tre Jones to solidify point guard position
The San Antonio Spurs have found their Chris Paul replacement, signing former No. 2 overall selection Lonzo Ball to a one-year, $12.10 million deal in addition to re-signing Tre Jones to a three-year, $18.92 million extension.

Ball, 27, played in all eighty-two games last season for the Chicago Bulls after missing the previous two years with injuries. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 assists per game coming off the bench for Chicago and continued to be an effective defender on the perimeter.

With his size, playmaking and defense, Ball could end up being an upgrade over Paul and will compete for the starting position with Jones who was Paul's backup last year.

NBA Free Agency Signings
Los Angeles Lakers re-sign F LeBron James to 1yr/$52.63m deal
Dallas Mavericks re-sign G Kyrie Irving to 5yr/$253.68m deal
Houston Rockets re-sign G Fred VanVleet to 4yr/$69.94m deal
Charlotte Hornets sign C Naz Reid to 3yr/$42.93m deal
Los Angeles Lakers re-sign G D'Angelo Russell to 4yr/$66.06m deal
Indiana Pacers sign C Brook Lopez to 2yr/$11.35m deal
Los Angeles Clippers sign G Tyus Jones to 3yr/$17.44m deal
Phoenix Suns sign G Ben Simmons to 2yr/$8.57m deal