Category: San Antonio Spurs Blog

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Three-team trade sends Zach LaVine to Kings, De’Aaron Fox to Spurs

The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has acquired Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round draft picks, (one protected and two unprotected) and three second-round round draft picks. As part of a three-team deal with San Antonio and Chicago, the Spurs received De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin from the Kings and Chicago acquired Kevin Huerter from Sacramento.

“De’Aaron has played a pivotal role with our franchise, and we are deeply grateful for everything he did to support the organization on and off the court,” said General Manager Monte McNair. “We appreciate Kevin’s many contributions to the team, especially as a key member of the 2023 playoff team. We also thank Jordan for his hard work and commitment during his time with the Kings.”

“As we look to the future, I am excited to welcome Zach to Sacramento. He is a gifted scorer, and his athleticism will make an impact on both ends of the floor. We also look forward to Sidy joining the Kings.”

A two-time All-Star (2020-21, 2021-22), LaVine is averaging 24.0 points (51.1 FG%, 44.6 3pt%, 63.7 TS%), 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 34.1 minutes per game over 42 games (42 starts) in his 11th season in the NBA. He is one of four players this season averaging 24.0 points or more while shooting 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from 3-point range with a true shooting percentage of 60.0% or higher. During the 2024-25 season, LaVine ranks fifth in 3-point shooting percentage and holds the highest field goal percentage from behind the arc among players with at least 100 3-pointers made this season. He is also 19th in points per game, 20th in total scoring (1,007), and tied for 11th in 3-point field goals made (136).

LaVine has posted career averages of 20.7 points (46.8 FG%, 38.7 3pt%, 83.1 FT%), 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 622 career games (533 starts) with Minnesota (2014-17) and Chicago (2017-25). During his eight seasons with Chicago, LaVine averaged 24.2 points (47.4 FG%, 39.0 3pt%, 83.4 FT%), 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in 416 career contests (413 starts), ranking third in Bulls franchise history in scoring average. Among the Bulls all-time leaders lists, he ranks sixth in points (10,056), first in 3-pointers made (1,130), 12th in assists (1,808), 15th in steals (388), and seventh in field goals made (3,545).

Fox, 6-3/190, has appeared and started in 45 games for the Kings this season, averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.47 steals in 37.0 minutes per game. The Houston native holds career averages of 21.5 points, 6.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.42 steals in 514 career games (500 starts) across eight seasons with the Kings. Fox enjoyed a breakout year in 2022-23, being named to the All-NBA Third Team, the NBA All-Star team and winning the NBA’s inaugural winner of the Clutch Player of the Year Award. In the same season, he led the Kings to their first playoff berth since 2006, averaging 27.4 points, 7.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in seven postseason games.

Since being drafted fifth overall in 2017 out of the University of Kentucky, only five other players have had 10,000 points, 3,000 assists and 700 three-pointers: Luka Doncic, LeBron James, James Harden, Trae Young and Damian Lillard. Fox is also one of three players in the NBA to have posted 11,000 points, 3,000 assists and 700 steals since 2017, along with Nikola Jokic and Harden.

McLaughlin, 6-0/185, spent five seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2019-24 before joining the Kings in 2024 and has averaged 4.2 points, 2.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes in 270 career games. Originally from Etiwanda, California, McLaughlin played four seasons at the University of Southern California.

Fox will wear No. 2 for the Spurs and McLaughlin will wear No. 11.

A 6-8 forward, Cissoko has made 29 career appearances with San Antonio since joining the NBA during the 2023-24 season.

Huerter holds career averages of 11.5 points (44.1 FG%, 37.5 3pt%, 76.2 FT%), 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 28.0 minutes per game in 456 career games (356 starts) with Atlanta (2018-23) and Sacramento (2023-25). He averaged 11.7 points (45.9 FG%, 36.9 3pt%), 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest in 182 games (149 starts) with Sacramento.

Victor Wembanyama named West Defensive Player of Month for October and November 2024

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama has been named the NBA’s first-ever Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October/November.

Kicking off the inaugural season of the award, Wembanyama is joined by Hawks guard Dyson Daniels in the East.

In 16 games to start the season, Wembanyama led the league with 3.56 blocks per game and 57 total blocks while averaging 1.31 steals in October/November. He also accounted for 45.9% of the Spurs total blocks. The sophomore’s 103.8 defensive rating helped anchor the Spurs to an eighth-ranked defense and has put them among the top three shot-blocking teams in the league.

A season after becoming the first rookie in NBA history to be named All-Defensive First Team, opponents shot 104-262 from the field last month when guarded by Wembanyama as he held a 39.7% defended field goal percentage. Within four feet of the rim, teams took 3.3% fewer shots when Wembanyama is on the floor and shot just 38.2% within four to 10 feet.

Spurs sign Riley Minix to Two-Way contract

The San Antonio Spurs have signed Riley Minix to a Two-Way contract.

Minix, 6-7/230, has appeared in three preseason games for the Spurs, averaging 7.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.8 minutes while shooting 70.0% (8-12 FG) from the floor. In three NBA 2K25 Summer League games, he posted 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20.8 minutes for the Silver and Black.

Prior to joining the Spurs, Minix played four seasons at Southeastern State University before transferring to Morehead State for the 2023-24 season. In one season at Morehead, he started all 28 games, averaging 22.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34.9 minutes, earning Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year as well as Lou Henson Mid Major All-American while leading MSU to the OVC regular season co-championship and tournament title. At Southeastern State, he played in 99 total games (83 starts) and averaged 20.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on his way to being named NAIA and NABC All-American, two-time Sun Conference Player of the Year (2020, 2022) and First-Team All TSC honors as a freshman.

Spurs exercise contract options on Victor Wembanyama, three other players

The San Antonio Spurs yesterday exercised their fourth-year team option on Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley, as well as their third-year option on Victor Wembanyama for the 2025-26 season.

Sochan, 6-8/230, appeared in 74 games during his sophomore season, averaging 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. The 2024 NBA Rising Star scored in double digits in 40 games, including nine 20-point games and two 30-point outings. In seven of those games, he grabbed 10-or-more boards, leading to seven double-doubles. Defensively, Sochan led the Spurs in steals in 12 games and in blocks seven times. For his career, he averages 11.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 29.6 minutes across 130 games (126 starts).

Branham, 6-5/205, averaged 9.2. points, 2.1 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 21.3 minutes across 75 games (29 starts) last season. He scored in double figures 35 times, including five 20-point games on his way to surpassing 1,000 career points. During the 2023-24 season, he joined Gary Neal as the only Spurs to have 100+ made threes through his first 90 career games. In his two seasons with the Spurs, Branham has averaged 9.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 22.3 minutes through 141 games (61 starts).

Wesley, 6-3/190, is entering his third NBA season after averaging 4.4 points, 2.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 14.4 minutes in 61 games (three starts) last season, including a career-high 17 points and 7 rebounds vs. Detroit on April 14. In 12 games assigned to Austin, Wesley averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.33 steals in 31.3 minutes. He holds career averages of 4.6 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 98 total games with San Antonio.

Wembanyama, 7-3/235, appeared in 71 games (all starts) as a rookie, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, an NBA-best 3.58 blocks as well as 1.24 steals in 29.7 minutes. He accumulated 1,522 total points, 755 rebounds, 274 assists, a league-leading 254 blocks and 88 steals to become the first player in NBA history to surpass 1,500+ points, 700+ rebounds, 250+ assists, 250+ blocks while making 100+ 3-pointers in a single season. The 2023-24 Rookie of the Year earned First Team All-Defense after finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, as well as First Team All-Rookie to round out the season.

Spurs front office news

The San Antonio Spurs recently announced additions and promotions within the team’s basketball operations staff.

The Spurs have added Mike Noyes as assistant coach/director of player development. In addition, San Antonio has promoted Josh Larson to Austin Spurs general manager and Gorgui Dieng to assistant general manager of the Austin Spurs.

Noyes joins the Spurs coaching staff after spending the past six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, most recently as a player development coach. He got his start with the Grizzlies as a data scientist in 2018 before transitioning to video coordinator. A native a Granby, Connecticut, Noyes attended the University of Connecticut where he started as a practice player for the Huskies basketball team before becoming a walk-on his junior season and was awarded a scholarship his senior year. He earned his degree in math/actuarial science from UConn in 2017.

Larson’s promotion to Austin Spurs general manager comes after spending the past two seasons as the team’s basketball operations manager. In that role he assisted in Austin Spurs roster building and day-to-day basketball operations, as well as player evaluation for the G League. Larson got his start with the Spurs in 2019 as a basketball operations quality assurance assistant. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Larson served as student manager for the Fighting Illini basketball team from 2015-19.

Dieng becomes Austin Spurs assistant general manager in his second season in the front office with the organization. Last year, Dieng served as a basketball operations representative after announcing his retirement from the NBA. A native a Kébémer, Senegal, Dieng spent part of two seasons with the Spurs, averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 47 games. The 10-year veteran also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks, appearing in 628 games over his career and averaging 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 20.1 minutes. In 2015 he set up the Gorgui Dieng Foundation, which provides aid including medical equipment and supplies to improve healthcare in his native Senegal. In 2019 he received the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award.

Spurs waive Jamaree Bouyea

The San Antonio Spurs yesterday waived Two-Way guard Jamaree Bouyea.

Bouyea appeared in five games for the Spurs in the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 3.00 steals in 24.3 minutes.

In three games for the Silver and Black last season, Bouyea averaged 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.7 minutes. In 12 games with the Austin Spurs, he averaged 15.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.25 assists and 2.33 steals in 36.2 minutes.

Spurs sign rookie Harrison Ingram to two-way contract

The San Antonio Spurs recently signed 2024 48th overall pick Harrison Ingram to a Two-Way contract.

Ingram, 6-6/235, began his college career at Stanford (2021-23) before transferring to the University of North Carolina for the 2023-24 season. In one season at UNC, he appeared in 37 games (36 starts), averaging a career-high 12.2 points to go with 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.40 steals in 32.8 minutes as a junior, earning an ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 3) and named Third-Team All-ACC. At Stanford, he played in 65 total games (62 starts) and averaged 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 29.5 minutes on his way to 2021-22 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

Spurs re-sign Sandro Mamukelashvili

The San Antonio Spurs recently re-signed forward Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Mamukelashvili, 6-10/240, averaged 11.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 26.0 minutes over the final eight games (five starts) of last season, the first time he played more than 20 minutes in a game all year. In 65 total games for the Silver and Black over two seasons, he holds averages of 6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 13.8 minutes.

Originally signed by the Spurs on March 3, 2023, prior to joining San Antonio, Mamukelashvili was on a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Tbilisi, Georgia native was selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft (54th overall) by the Indiana Pacers before being traded to Milwaukee on draft night. Prior to the NBA, Mamukelashvili spent four seasons at Seton Hall, playing in a total of 104 games (68 starts) and winning 2021 Big East Player of the Year.

Spurs sign rookie Stephon Castle

The San Antonio Spurs recently signed rookie guard Stephon Castle.

Castle, 6-6/215, was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Prior to the NBA, he played one season at the University of Connecticut, averaging 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 47.2% from the field to help UCONN to a program record 37 wins, including the 2024 NCAA National Championship.

The former Husky earned unanimous BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, he’s an 11-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and joined the 2024 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament and NCAA East Region All-Regional Teams.

From Covington, Georgia, the 19-year-old won a gold medal as a member of Team USA at the 2022 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.

Castle will be part of the Spurs Summer League team, which will open Summer League play in Sacramento at the California Classic followed by an appearance in Las Vegas at the NBA 2K25 Summer League.