The San Antonio Spurs have a fairly young team. Chris Paul has departed, signing with the LA Clippers in what is expected to be his final season in the NBA, leaving the Spurs with only two players over the age of 30. Harrison Barnes is 33, and Kelly Olynyk, whom they acquired from the Washington Wizards, is 34.
The next oldest player is Luke Kornet, who is 30. Could it benefit the Spurs to add another veteran, especially in the backcourt?
Russell Westbrook remains a free agent, and Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report believes he's one of the best players available who could likely be signed on a minimum contract. He could be a fit for the Spurs.
"The 36-year-old is a high-impact player, but he doesn't shoot the three well (32.3 percent last year) and is mistake-prone on the court," Pincus wrote. "He's not for everyone, but he did find ways to contribute with Denver last year. Leadership and coaching changes over the last year could lead to Westbrook needing a new home."
San Antonio has a young backcourt after drafting Dylan Harper this year and Stephon Castle last year. De'Aaron Fox is 28, but it wouldn't be the worst idea to have another veteran to help with the development of all of the young pieces.
The Spurs still have one standard NBA contract spot open and have plenty of space under the first tax apron, roughly $12 million. Adding someone on a minimum deal wouldn't hurt the team much financially.
Although it could be a decent idea, it's probably extremely unlikely. The Sacramento Kings seem to be the team most connected with Westbrook at this point, as he's expressed a little bit of a desire to be closer to Los Angeles again, which is where he's from. But to that point, going back to the Clippers or Lakers is even more unlikely.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK LOCKS UP DEFENSIVELY...
— NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2025
AND FORCES THE JUMP BALL pic.twitter.com/NS6tfXL5JK
The Spurs may also not want to crowd the backcourt even further. Harper, Fox, and Castle will all play major roles for the Spurs next season, so there aren't a lot of minutes available. Westbrook may be older, but he still wants to play a contributing role on a good team.
At this point, he's earned that right. He was able to be successful with the Nuggets, but Nikola Jokic is arguably the easiest player in the world to play off of.
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