Report: Trae Young, Josh Giddey Were Interested In Joining Spurs

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Trae Young and Josh Giddey were interested in joining the San Antonio Spurs this offseason. 

Young is still on the Atlanta Hawks, while the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Giddey to the Chicago Bulls. 

The Spurs signed Chris Paul after the future Hall of Famer was waived by the Golden State Warriors. 

“Paul, 39, only joined San Antonio on a one-year pact, and for the stabilizing presence the future Hall of Famer will surely bring, he is not the long-term pick-and-roll partner the Spurs are looking to pair with Victor Wembanyama for the next decade,” Fischer reported. “And as long as that role remains undetermined, playmakers from Trae Young — who had the Spurs on his wishlist of next teams, sources said, if Young had moved this summer — to Josh Giddey, who also held an interest in joining San Antonio, sources said, before Oklahoma City moved Giddey to Chicago in exchange for Alex Caruso, will point to the Spurs as a desired home alongside Wemby.”

Several stars want to play for the Spurs because of Wembanyama, who led the NBA in blocks and blocks per game as a rookie.

Wembanyama has all the tools to become the best player in the league soon. 

Young averaged 25.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.2 blocks in 2023-24 for the Hawks while shooting 43.0% from the field, 37.3% from beyond the arc and 85.5% from the free-throw line. He recorded 37 double-doubles in 54 games. 

Young signed a five-year, $215 million extension with the Hawks in August 2021. He’ll make $43 million next season and $45 million in 2025-26.

Young, who turns 26 in September, holds career averages of 25.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.2 blocks. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract. 

Giddey averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks in 80 games for the Thunder in 2023-24 while shooting 47.5% overall, 33.7% from 3 and 80.6% from the foul line. He’ll make $8.4 million in 2024-25. 

Giddey has career averages of 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks. He’s eligible to sign a rookie-scale extension this offseason with the Bulls.