LATEST UPDATE: To keep their jobs save, four Spurs players must have incredible season-long second halves.

More than two thirds of the regular season remains, and the San Antonio Spurs will likely use that time to assess their performance while most other teams are fighting for a spot in the playoffs. After setting a record only last season, San Antonio is on track to win just 16 games, making it the poorest season in team history.

The Spurs will therefore need to assess their season’s lessons, particularly with regard to their players. The majority of them won’t play a significant role in the Spurs’ next postseason squad, but some will, and individuals will need to demonstrate their ability to stay.

4) Tre Jones
Tre Jones, a point guard, has had an odd season to begin. Though going into the preseason, he was considered the favorite to start, Jeremy Sochan and then Malaki Branham unexpectedly displaced him in the starting lineup. He didn’t start until after injuries and subpar performances from others. The Spurs have benefited from it, as seen by the Jones starting lineup’s +5.4 points per 100 possessions as opposed to the tall-ball lineup’s -18.2 points at the beginning of the season.

His ability to create plays has increased consistency, but the Spurs still need to improve at point guard. Several alternatives are available in both the draft (Nikola Topic and Rob Dillingham) and free agency (Tyus Jones and D’Angelo Russell). To strengthen at point guard, San Antonio may decide to use a portion of their cap space in addition to one of their draft picks.

They also have Blake Wesley, who has started to establish himself and may quicken the process by becoming a better shooter this summer—something Jones doesn’t appear to be able to accomplish. Given all of that, Jones’ future is uncertain, particularly if the Spurs decide to go after Trae Young. Although Jones’ strong finish to the season may have aided his cause, his ceiling as a player will always indicate that he can be improved.

3) Zach Collins, a former starter who is now a bench warmer This season, Zach Collins has suffered the most setbacks of any Spurs player. From being viewed as an underappreciated backup center to emerging as a strong starter, he even began the season with a two-year, $35 million contract extension.

Collins will have to play more consistently in the team’s final games. Since he has been making a lot of threes lately and his once-promising 3-point shot seems to have deserted him, that might be more difficult for him to do. If the Spurs don’t try to rest Victor Wembanyama more, they might also try to give Dom Barlow more playing time to see what he can accomplish, which would limit Collins’ chances to establish himself.

In either case, San Antonio would be happy with a healthy Charles Bassey as Wembanyama’s backup, but Collins will need to perform better to warrant his continued use—especially considering that he is a backup receiving starter pay. He has to perform better or risk being dealt this summer, since his contract might be used to pay Young’s wages in exchange.

2) Malaki Branham
Malaki Branham, a guard in his second year, hasn’t exactly had the year that many Spurs supporters were hoping for. His future with the team is in doubt because of his terrible performance this season, despite his promising second half of the previous campaign. With the rise of fellow 2022 first-round pick Blake Wesley, he was benched in favor of starting Jones, and as a result, his playing time has decreased.

Thankfully, Branham will have more playing time to try to resolve his problems since the Spurs will probably want to give their younger players more minutes during the rest of the campaign. Even if it might not help the Spurs win games, he might learn a few valuable lessons going into the offseason after a challenging sophomore campaign.

Branham will most likely return for his third season because he isn’t in danger of getting waived and doesn’t currently have much trade value. However, if this season continues, the Spurs may be forced to reject his rookie contract’s final year. Branham may assist himself by demonstrating that he is capable of playing the position of bench scorer; if not, he won’t be involved.

1) Keldon Johnson
Keldon Johnson was ranked as the third-best player on the club before the 2023–24 season got underway. Prior to a slump that raised questions about his future with the team, he was for the majority of the season. Even though he has often performed well in the second unit, he is coming off the bench, and if he keeps having trouble against opposition benches, he may not have much longer in San Antonio.

According to reports early in the season, the Spurs were amenable to moving him, and he might have been part of a trade including Trae Young. He might see the Spurs draft his replacement with perhaps two top-10 picks if they decide not to trade him for Young.

He still has three years left on his cheap contract, so if the right offer comes up or they choose a wing who can start right away, they might try to trade him again. Alternatively, if Johnson can play more reliably in the remaining games of the season, the Spurs will have a better case to justify holding onto their longest-tenured player in the future.