San Antonio Spurs Blog – Page 8 – NBA Blog

Heat and Spurs will reportedly play a 2022-23 regular season game in Mexico City

There will be a south-of-the-border element for the Miami Heat when the NBA schedule is released in coming days.

The Heat, under current NBA plans, are scheduled for a Dec. 17 game in Mexico City, one that will count against the San Antonio Spurs’ home schedule.

It will be the Heat’s first regular-season game outside of the United States or Canada since defeating the Brooklyn Nets 101-89 on Dec. 9, 2017 in front of a listed 19,777 in Mexico City.

The game at Mexico City Arena is part of the Spurs’ expansion beyond their AT&T Center home.

San Antonio Spurs sign Dominick Barlow to two-way contract

The San Antonio Spurs have signed forward Dominick Barlow to a two-way contract.

Barlow, 6-10/220, spent the 2021-22 season playing in the Overtime Elite League with Team Overtime, averaging 14.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.08 steals over 25.2 minutes per game. Originally from Dumont, New Jersey, Barlow logged 371 total points after scoring double figures in 22 of 25 games, including a season-high 27 points (5-6 3PT) against DME Academy, ranking him third in the league. In OTE’s inaugural season, the forward shot 53.0% from the field, 33.9% from three and 76.4% from the foul line.

During his senior year at Dumont High school, he was named the 2020-21 North Jersey Boys Basketball Player of the Year, averaging 27.6 points, 17.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 blocks.

Currently playing for the Spurs Summer League team, Barlow is averaging 6.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 23.1 minutes over two games in the NBA 2K23 Summer League.

Barlow will wear No. 26 for the Spurs.

Spurs add Isaiah Roby off waivers

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have claimed forward Isaiah Roby off waivers from Oklahoma City.

Roby, 6-8/230, most recently appeared in 45 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021-22, averaging 10.1 points, along with 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.1 minutes while shooting 51.4% from the field, 44.4% from three and 67.2% from the foul line. In three seasons with the Thunder, the forward appeared in 109 games, averaging 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.9 minutes.

Roby was originally selected by Detroit with the 45th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft before being traded to Dallas.

San Antonio Spurs trade Dejounte Murray to Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired All-Star guard Dejounte Murray and center Jock Landale in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs. In exchange, the Spurs receive forward Danilo Gallinari, a conditional 2023 first round pick (from Charlotte via New York), Atlanta’s 2025 and 2027 first round picks and a 2026 first round pick swap.

“The opportunity to acquire a player of Dejounte’s caliber, just entering his prime, doesn’t come along too often,” said Hawks President of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk. “He has developed into one of the elite two-way guards in the league and we’re thrilled to add him to our group. I’d also like to thank Gallo for his professionalism and his contributions to the Hawks over the last two seasons.”

Murray appeared in 68 games (all starts) during the 2021-22 season, averaging career bests in points per game (21.1), assists per game (9.2), rebounds per game (8.3) and steals per game (2.0) in a career-high 34.8 minutes of action (.462 FG%, .327 3FG%, .794 FT%). The 6-4 guard became the first player in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 2.0 steals in a single season. Murray totaled 1,438 points, 563 rebounds, 627 assists and 138 steals, becoming just the eighth player since the 1973-74 season to tally at least 1,400 points, 600 assists, 500 rebounds and 130 steals in a single season.

A 2022 NBA All-Star, Murray led the league in steals per game (2.03), while finishing fourth in assists per game (9.2) this past season. Per Elias Sports, Murray and Hawks All-NBA guard Trae Young will be the first pair of teammates in NBA history who each averaged at least 20.0 points and 9.0 assists per game in the previous season.

The University of Washington product recorded 13 triple-doubles during the 2021-22 season, the second-most in the NBA. Per Elias Sports, Murray is one of only six guards in NBA history with 13-or-more triple-doubles in a single season within his first five NBA seasons, joining Oscar Robertson (five times), Magic Johnson (twice), Michael Jordan, Fat Lever and Luka Doncic. He owns 17 career triple-doubles, the most in Spurs history. Against Houston on January 12, 2022, the Seattle, Washington, native recorded a triple-double of 32 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and zero turnovers in 37 minutes. Murray became the only player in the NBA this past season to record a 30-point triple-double while registering zero turnovers and became one of just seven players in NBA history to do so.

Over his five-year career, Murray has appeared in 320 games (249 starts), owning averages of 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 25.8 minutes (.455 FG%, .330 3FG%, .771 FT%). He became the youngest player to be named to an All-Defensive Team, after earning the nod in 2018.

Landale saw action in 54 games (one start) for San Antonio during his rookie season, chipping in 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.9 minutes (.495 FG%, .326 3FG%, .829 FT%). The former Saint Mary Gaels center poured in 10-or-more points on 10 occasions during the 2021-22 season, including a career-high 26 points on 12-15 shooting from the field against the Indiana Pacers on March 12.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Landale suited up for the Hawks during the 2018 Summer League in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. In nine total Summer League contests with Atlanta (six starts), he averaged 5.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 18.3 minutes.

Acquired by Atlanta on November 24, 2020, Gallinari appeared in 117 regular season games (22 starts) with the Hawks over two seasons, averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.7 minutes (.434 FG%, .392 3FG%, .915 FT%). The Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy, native also saw action in 23 postseason games with Atlanta (three starts), compiling 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 24.1 minutes of play (.420 FG%, .384 3FG%, .952 FT%).

San Antonio Spurs hire Brett Brown as assistant coach

The San Antonio Spurs have hired Brett Brown as an assistant coach.

Brown joins Mitch Johnson and Matt Nielsen on head coach Gregg Popovich’s staff.

“I’m thrilled to be able to hire such a good coach, human being and dinner partner,” said Popovich.

Brown most recently served as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2013 through the 2019-20 season. With Brown at the helm, the 76ers posted three-straight 50-win seasons from 2017-20 and made three straight postseason appearances.

Prior to leading the 76ers, Brown served as assistant coach on Popovich’s staff in San Antonio for 11 seasons from 2002-13. He was a member of the Spurs organization for their first four championship seasons (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007). He originally joined the Spurs as a member of their basketball operations department in 1998-99 but left after the season to become the Head Coach of the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He rejoined the Spurs in July of 2002 as the team’s Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development and was moved to the bench as an assistant coach prior to the 2006-07 season.

In addition to his time with the Spurs, Brown has a wealth of coaching experience in Australia. He started as an assistant coach with the Melbourne Tigers before being named head coach of the North Melbourne Giants in 1993 and earned NBL Coach of the Year honors in 1994 after leading the Giants to the National Championship. Brown also served as head coach of the Australian National Team from 2009-2012, leading the Boomers during the 2012 Summer Olympics, and again from 2019-20.

With 9th pick in 2022 NBA draft, Spurs selected Jeremy Sochan

The San Antonio Spurs yesterday selected forward Jeremy Sochan with the ninth overall pick along with guard Malaki Branham with the 20th overall pick and guard Blake Wesley with the 25th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

It was the first time in franchise history the Silver and Black had three first round picks.

Sochan, 6-9/230, is the highest draft pick by the Spurs since they selected Tim Duncan with the first overall pick in 1997 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old played one season at Baylor University where he helped lead the Bears to a 27-7 record and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Sochan was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and was selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.27 steals while appearing in 30 games. A native of England, Sochan averaged 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in four games across the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Sochan became the youngest player in Polish Men’s National Team history when he competed against Romania in a FIBA EuroBasket qualifier in February 2021 at the age of 17.

Branham, 6-5/180, played one season at Ohio State University where he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the Kyle Macy Award winner and to the Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team. The former Buckeye averaged 13.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 32 games while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor and finished second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage at 83.3 percent. Prior to Ohio State, Branham was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 2021.

Wesley, 6-5/185, played one season at University Notre Dame. In 35 games, he led the Fighting Irish in scoring with 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 29.4 minutes as a freshman. He finished with the fourth-most points (504) by a freshman in Notre Dame program history. The first-year guard helped the team to a first round NCAA tournament win over Alabama on his way to All-ACC Second Team and ACC All-Rookie Team honors in 2022. Wesley became the first Fighting Irish player selected in the first round since Jerian Grant in 2015 and Notre Dame’s first player to leave for the NBA draft after one season.

San Antonio Spurs waive guard Tomas Satoransky

The San Antonio Spurs have waived guard Tomáŝ Satoranský.

Satoranský appeared in one game with the Silver and Black. He was acquired from Portland, along with a 2027 second round pick from Utah, in a three-team deal with the Trail Blazers and Jazz on Feb. 9.

The move is reportedly a buyout agreement, with Satoransky reportedly expected to sign with the Washington Wizards, the team he began his NBA career with and played for from 2016-19.

The Spurs roster now stands at 15 players.

Celtics trade Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and draft picks to Spurs for Derrick White

The San Antonio Spurs have acquired guards Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford, a protected 2022 first round pick and the rights to swap 2028 first round draft picks with Boston in a trade with the Celtics for guard Derrick White.

Richardson, 6-5/200, is a seven-year NBA veteran who has spent time with Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas and Boston. Originally drafted by the Heat with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft, Richardson has appeared in 44 games this season for the Celtics and is averaging 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.7 minutes while shooting .397 (62-156) from three-point range. The former Tennessee Volunteer enjoyed a career year with Miami in 2018-19, averaging 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.08 steals in 34.8 minutes. Richardson in holds career averages of 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.06 steals in 30.0 minutes over 417 NBA games.

Langford, 6-4/215, joins the Spurs after spending the past two-plus seasons with Boston. This season the University of Indiana alum is averaging 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.5 minutes in 44 games. Originally selected by the Celtics with the 14th overall pick in first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, Langford has appeared in 94 NBA games, averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 14.7 minutes.

Originally selected by San Antonio in the first round (29th overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft, White, 27, has averaged 11.6 points (44.5% FG, 34.4% 3-PT, 83.6% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 25.7 minutes in five seasons (237 games) with the Spurs. The Colorado native has averaged double-digit scoring over each of the past three seasons, including a career-high 15.4 points/game mark in 2020-21.

In 49 games with San Antonio this season (48 starts), White has produced 14.4 points on 42.6% shooting, 5.6 assists, and 1.0 steals over 30.3 minutes. He has reached the 20-point mark nine times this season, including a season-high 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting (3-6 3-PT) against New York on Dec. 7, and has connected on at least three 3-point field goals on 14 occasions. White produced 18 points and a career-high 14 assists at Detroit on Jan. 1, one of his two double-doubles this season.

Richardson will wear No. 7 for the Silver and Black, while Langford will wear No. 35.

Three-team NBA trade sends Joe Ingles to Trail Blazers, Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Jazz

The Utah Jazz have acquired guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Portland Trail Blazers and forward Juancho Hernangomez from the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team trade, sending Portland forward Joe Ingles, guard/forward Elijah Hughes and a future second-round draft pick. The Spurs received guard Tomas Satoransky from Portland and a future second-round draft pick from the Jazz.

Ingles, 34, averaged 7.2 points (40.4% FG, 34.7% 3-PT, 77.3%), 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 45 games (15 starts) for the Jazz this season. A veteran forward in his eighth NBA season, Ingles played professionally in his home country of Australia as well as Spain and Israel prior to signing with Utah in 2014. Ingles (6-8, 220) holds career averages of 8.6 points (44.9% FG, 40.8% 3-PT, 76.8% FT), 3.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.92 steals in 590 career games (313 starts) for the Jazz. The runner-up for the 2020-21 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, Ingles suffered a torn left ACL on January 30.

Hughes, 23, is averaging career-highs of 3.1 points (41.7% FG, 35.7% 3-PT, 100% FT), 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 14 games (one start) for the Jazz this season. The second-year guard out of Syracuse was selected with the 39th pick in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. The New York-native holds career averages of 2.3 points (37.9% FG, 35.3% 3-PT, 85.7% FT), 0.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 32 career games (one start).

Alexander-Walker (6-5, 205, Virginia Tech) is in his third NBA season, averaging 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists (all career-highs) in 26.3 minutes per contest. He’s totaled six games with 20-or-more points, two games with 30-plus points and two double-doubles during the 2021-22 season.

For his career, Alexander-Walker has played in 143 games (33 starts), all for the New Orleans Pelicans, with career averages of 9.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 20.4 minutes per game. The Toronto, Ontario, Canada-native was originally drafted in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft (17th overall) by Brooklyn (traded to New Orleans on draft night).

Hernangomez (6-9, 215, Spain) is in his sixth NBA season, appearing in 23 games in 2021-22 with Boston and San Antonio. For his career, he owns averages of 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 280 games (57 starts) with Denver (2016-20), Minnesota (2019-21), Boston and San Antonio (2021-22). He was originally drafted by Denver in the first round (15th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft).

The 26-year-old has additional professional playing experience in Spain where he began his career with Estudiantes of the ACB in 2013-14. He spent three seasons with Estudiantes (2013-16), and in his final season with the club, averaged 9.7 points on 45.5 percent from the field and 5.7 rebounds in 23.7 minutes per contest.

Dejounte Murray selected as injury replacement for Draymond Green in 2022 NBA All-Star Game

San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray has been selected as an injury replacement for Draymond Green in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. The fifth-year Spur will make his first career All-Star appearance.

Murray is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists this season. The Spurs guard holds averages of 19.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.06 steals. There has never been a player in NBA history that has averaged more than 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 2.0 steals for an entire season.

Leading the league in steals and ranking fourth in assists, Murray has 10 triple-doubles this season which is second in the league behind only Denver’s Nikola Jokić (14). The former Washington Husky has twice as many triple-doubles already this year (10) than any other player in Spurs history previously had in an entire season (5, David Robinson in 1993-94 and Johnny Moore in 1984-85).

Murray becomes the first Spurs player named to an All-Star roster since LaMarcus Aldridge in 2019. The Spurs have now had at least one All-Star selection in 41 of the 45 All-Star Games since joining the NBA in 1976, the most of any team in that span.

Joining Murray as Western Conference All-Stars are: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Ja Morant (Memphis), Nikola Jokić (Denver), Andrew Wiggins (Golden State), Stephen Curry (Golden State), Devin Booker (Phoenix), Luka Doncic (Dallas), Rudy Gobert (Utah), Draymond Green (Golden State), Donovan Mitchell (Utah), Chris Paul (Phoenix), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota).

The Eastern Conference All-Stars: Kevin Durant (Brooklyn), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia), Trae Young (Atlanta), DeMar DeRozan (Chicago), Jimmy Butler (Miami), Darius Garland (Cleveland), Zach Lavine (Chicago), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee), James Harden (Brooklyn), Jayson Tatum (Boston), Fred VanVleet (Toronto), LaMelo Ball (Charlotte – injury replacement).

The 71st NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, where there will be a celebration for the league’s 75th anniversary.