Two Spurs free agents have found new homes. Veteran guard Devonte’ Graham will play with the Trail Blazers next season while Dominick Barlow will join the Hawks. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report both signings.
Neither Graham nor Barlow were expected to return to San Antonio after the franchise filled out its roster, but it was a little surprising to see them remain in the free agency pool into late July. The wait was worth it for both, as they have landed in good places.
Graham showed his ability to be a good fit in a young locker room in his year and a half in San Antonio. The veteran scorer didn’t crack the rotation but was always ready when called upon and never complained about his role. Now he’ll join a Portland team that has a lot of youth and talent but could use some leadership. If the Blazers decide to move one of their guards, Graham could also provide some good minutes on offense off the bench for cheap, as his one-year contract is almost surely a minimum deal. He’s still just 29 years old and while it seems extremely unlikely that he’ll find the form he showed earlier in his career, a change of scenery could help him. Graham got $2.85 million from his partially guaranteed contract after being traded to the Hornets and waived.
As for Barlow, he inked a two-way deal with the Hawks. Atlanta is in a tricky position as they try to reload on the fly with youth following the failure of the Dejounte Murray – Trae Jones experiment. Taking a flyer on Barlow, who showed slow but consistent growth in his time in San Antonio and plays a position the franchise has no long-term answers for, is smart. If Barlow shows promise, he could potentially become a part of their regular roster, especially if there’s a trade involving Clint Capela. If he doesn’t pan out, they can move on. There’s no risk with two-way players, as the investment is minimal and Barlow, who is still younger than many 2024 first-round picks, could blossom into a rotation-caliber big man. He still had a year of eligibility to sign a two-way contract with the Spurs but both parties probably decided that it was best to move on.
The last notable 2023/24 Spurs free agent who is left unsigned is Cedi Osman. The Turkish forward is likely looking for more than the minimum but could struggle to get it in a cold market. Europe could be an option for him as well.
Graham averaged five points and two assists in 23 games for the Spurs last season.
Barlow averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 33 appearances with the Silver and Black in 2023/24.
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