The San Antonio Spurs have spent this offseason swept up in trade rumors, and for good reason. They clearly have some positions of need to address, and they have ample assets to plug any gaps.
The Spurs desperately need a rebounding forward who can shoulder some of the frontcourt load next to Victor Wembanyama. Before he was traded to the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard was an option. Trade candidates like Jaylen Brown and Aaron Gordon have been floated, as have free agents LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and John Collins.
De’Aaron Fox’s contract should cover any salary matching, and the Spurs have draft picks they could part with, as well. Youngsters Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are clearly untouchable, and apparently, they aren’t the only ones.
Spurs Have No Interest in Trading Carter Bryant
In his rookie season, Carter Bryant averaged 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. He showed some promise as a shooter and is already a solid defender.
As the Spurs build a defensive mindset, Bryant is exactly the type of player they want to build around. Even though he only got limited playing time last season, they see him as a pillar of the future.
“I don’t think the Spurs are gonna give up Carter Bryant,” predicted Dave DuFour on The Athletic NBA Daily podcast. “I think that they see him as a part of their core going forward.”
The current core is Wemby, Castle, and Harper. Players like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Julian Champagnie have played their way into long-term roles, although none of them are truly “untouchable.”
Bryant might be in the former camp, not the latter.
He’s only 19 years old, one of the best athletes in the NBA, and projects to be a very, very high-level defender. There’s always room for players like that in the NBA; just look at Matisse Thybulle and Marcus Smart. They are limited offensive players, but they made careers for themselves out of being pests.
Bryant is young enough that the franchise can convince itself that he will eventually become a positive offensive player. At points in the season, he was a capable shooter and open-floor demon. If he can be even a league-average shooting threat, he will be a valuable piece.
Will Bryant end up being a franchise guy? Probably not, but he’s brimming with potential, and the Spurs have him under team control for the next three seasons for only around $19 million. That’s enough to keep him on the roster.
At worst, he ends up being a one-way specialist. At best, he’s the type of player Jeremy Sochan never blossomed into. Think of a young Kawhi Leonard. Would you be eager to move on from him?
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