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The San Antonio Spurs two days ago (Monday) waived forward Lamar Stevens.
Stevens was acquired from Cleveland as part of a three-team trade with the Cavaliers and Miami Heat on July 6, when the Spurs also received Cedi Osman, two future second round picks and cash considerations in exchange for a future second round pick.
The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have acquired forward Grant Williams from Boston and second-round picks in 2025 and 2028 from San Antonio as part of a three-team sign-and-trade deal. San Antonio will acquire Reggie Bullock and a 2030 first-round pick swap from Dallas while Boston will receive a 2030 second-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick swap from Dallas and a 2024 second-round pick from San Antonio.
Williams (6-6, 236) holds career averages of 6.2 points (.451 FG%, .379 3FG%, .773 FT%), 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 21.2 minutes in 288 games (58 starts) with Boston. He posted career bests for points (8.1 ppg), rebounds (4.6 rpg), assists (1.7 apg), minutes (25.9 mpg) and 3-pointers made (115) in a career-high 79 games (career-best 23 starts) in 2022-23.
“Grant will bring a level of versatility and tenacity to our organization,” said General Manager Nico Harrison. “He has been battle tested in high-level NBA Playoff games and is committed to team success. His willingness to compete in every single facet of the game will complement our group well.”
Williams has played in the NBA Playoffs in each of his first four seasons, advancing to three Eastern Conference Finals (2020, 2022, 2023) and one NBA Finals (2022). His 61 career postseason appearances rank third on the Mavericks current roster behind Kyrie Irving and JaVale McGee (both with 74).
Over his final two seasons with the Celtics, Williams averaged 8.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 46.4% (421-908 FG) from the field, 40.3% (221-549 3FG) from 3-point range and 82.9% (180-217 FT) from the foul line.
Williams was selected by Boston with the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after a decorated college career at the University of Tennessee. He was named the SEC Player of the Year in each of his final two seasons with the Volunteers (2018, 2019), becoming the first player to do so since Corliss Williamson in 1995. As a junior in 2018-19, Williams posted career bests for points (18.8 ppg), rebounds (7.5 rpg), assists (3.2 apg), steals (1.1 spg), minutes (31.9 mpg), field goal percentage (.564) and free throw percentage (.819).
The Houston native is the son of Gilbert and Teresa Williams. His mother, Teresa, is an engineer for NASA and his father, Gilbert, is a jazz artist and former basketball player.
Williams will wear No. 3 for Dallas, while second-year guard Jaden Hardy will move to No. 1 this upcoming season.
Bullock (6-6, 205) appeared in 146 games (92 starts) for Dallas over the past two seasons and averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 29.2 minutes while shooting 37.0% (292-789 3FG) from beyond the arc.
The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed forward Julian Champagnie.
Champagnie, 6-8/220, joined the Silver and Black midway through the 2022-23 season on a two-way contract. In 15 games (three starts) with San Antonio, he averaged 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20.9 minutes. The New York native scored a season-high 26 points in a win over the Sacramento Kings on April 2, the second-most points ever for a rookie on a two-way contract. Champagnie scored in double-digits in the final five games of the season, including 20-plus in three of the five games. He appeared in eight games with the Austin Spurs and averaged 18.1 points, 8.4 points, 2.5 assists in 33.9 minutes.
Prior to joining the Spurs, Champagnie was on a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. He appeared in two games with the 76ers and 18 G League games with the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28.5 minutes.
Champagnie went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft after spending three years (2019-22) at St. John’s University, where he garnered All-Big East First Team honors as a sophomore and junior. The former Red Storm forward averaged 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.7 minutes in 88 games.
The second-year forward is currently playing on the Spurs Summer League team, where he’s averaging 29.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and shooting 45.5% from three in 25.9 minutes through two games.
The San Antonio Spurs have signed guard Sir’Jabari Rice to a two-way contract.
Rice, 6-5/170, transferred to the University of Texas in 2022-23 as a graduate student where he averaged 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. As a Longhorn, Rice earned the honors of Big 12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year and was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team. Prior to Texas, Rice played four seasons at New Mexico State. In his career as an Aggie, Rice played in 111 games (74 starts) and averaged 10.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. The Houston, Texas native was named to the 2022 WAC All-Tournament Team, 2021-22 All-WAC Second Team, 2020-21 All-WAC Second Team and 2019-20 All-WAC First Team.
Rice is currently on the Spurs Summer League roster and will wear No. 11.
The San Antonio Spurs have signed forward Victor Wembanyama to his rookie contract.
Wembanyama, 7-3/225, was selected with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Prior to the NBA with French-club Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in the LNB Pro A French League, he helped lead the team to the 2023 LNB Pro A Finals and a 23-11 regular season record. In 34 regular season games with Mets 92, Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.0 blocks in 32.3 minutes. In 10 postseason games, he averaged 17.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.7 assists per game.
The Le Chesnay, France native wrapped up the season earning league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Best Young Player, Scoring Champion, Blocked Shots Champion and was named to the All-LNB First Team. Throughout his career, he’s earned Best Young Player three times (2021, 2022, 2023), is a two-time LNB All-Star (2022, 2023), two-time All-LNB First Team and won the 2022 LNB Pro A Championship with ASVEL Basket.
The 19-year-old began his professional basketball career at age 15 with Nanterre 92 in the EuroCup League from 2019-21. Prior to joining Mets 92 for the 2022-23 season, Wembanyama played for the French club ASVEL Basket from 2021-22.
Wembanyama will be part of the Spurs Summer League team in Las Vegas at the 2K24 Summer League starting July 7.
The San Antonio Spurs recently announced their home game preseason schedule. Tickets went on sale on June 27 at 10 a.m.
The Silver and Black make their 2023 home debut at the AT&T Center against the Miami Heat on Friday, Oct. 13 followed by two games against intra-state rival Houston Rockets on Monday, Oct. 16 and Wednesday, Oct. 18.
All preseason games can be heard in English on WOAI 1200 AM and in Spanish on KXTN 1350 AM or 107.5 FM HD2.
The San Antonio Spurs today selected Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The first French player selected No. 1 overall in NBA Draft history, Wembanyama (Wem-ban-YAH-muh) joins David Robinson and Tim Duncan as the only top overall picks in Spurs franchise history.
Wembanyama, 7-3/225, most recently played with French-club Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in the LNB Pro A French League during the 2022-23 season, where he helped lead the team to the LNB Pro A Finals and a 23-11 regular season record. In 34 regular season games with Mets 92, he averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.0 blocks in 32.3 minutes. In 10 postseason games, Wembanyama averaged 17.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.7 assists.
The Le Chesnay, France native wrapped up the season being named league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Best Young Player, Scoring Champion, Blocked Shots Champion and was named to the All-LNB First Team. Throughout his career, he’s earned Best Young Player three times (2021, 2022, 2023), is a two-time LNB All-Star (2022, 2023), named to the All-LNB First Team twice and won the 2022 LNB Pro A Championship with ASVEL Basket.
Wembanyama played his first games in the United States in October 2022 during a pair of exhibition games against the G League Ignite in Las Vegas. In his U.S. debut, he recorded 37 points, 4 rebounds and 5 blocks. In the second game, he had 36 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in a Metropolitans 92 win.
The 19-year-old started his professional basketball career at the age of 15 with Nanterre 92 in the Euro Cup League from 2019-21. Prior to joining the Mets 92 for the 2022-23 season, Wembanyama played for the French club ASVEL Basket from 2021-22.
Wembanyama will wear No. 1 for the Spurs.
Via ESPN.com:
The Victor Wembanyama era has officially begun in San Antonio, as the Spurs made him the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft.
Wembanyama, a 7-foot-5 French phenom with an 8-foot wingspan, walked across the stage at the Barclays Center in New York to shake NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand and formally mark the start of his new career.
Wembanyama, 19, is considered by many to be a generational talent — a player who can defend and play above the rim but also move with such fluidity that he can also hit step-back 3-pointers off one leg.
When the Spurs won the right to draft Wembanyama by winning the lottery on May 16, Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt leaped with joy from his seat on stage inside Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center.
The NBA today announced that the San Antonio Spurs have won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, which was conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago earlier this evening. The Spurs will have the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft that will be held on Thursday, June 22.
“The team and the city that sticks with us and put so much effort and love into the organization, it’s just amazing for them to get rewarded,” said Spurs Managing Partner Peter J. Holt immediately following the Lottery. “So many folks have been with us a long time and now everybody can feel rewarded and excited. My joy was a ‘we’ type of fun and joy.”
For the third time in franchise history, San Antonio holds the top overall pick with the previous two being Hall of Fame big men David Robinson in 1987 and Tim Duncan in 1997, who helped the Spurs start their NBA record 22-year Playoff streak from 1998-2019.
Going into tonight’s lottery, the Silver and Black held a 14.0% chance to land the No. 1 pick. Since the Draft Lottery was introduced in 1985, San Antonio has owned seven total lottery picks, fewest in the NBA.
Via the San Antonio Express News:
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray said he appreciated the warm reception he received in his first game back at the AT&T Center.
Murray spent his first six NBA seasons with the Spurs before being dealt to Atlanta last summer.
“I felt like it was what it should be,” said Murray, who tallied 22 points in the Hawks’ defeat. “It showed nothing but love, both sides.”
The team began the afternoon’s festivities with a video thanking Murray for his time in San Antonio.
“I’m thankful, grateful,” Murray said. “It’s family forever.”