San Antonio

Spurs

The Spurs added Gillespie with the 42nd pick in the draft last month, and while he may not be a rotation piece in year one, he has had a strong showing this summer. He has been effective as a scorer, facilitator and defender, which is encouraging to see out of an older rookie that is supposed to be more ready for NBA action. He’ll likely spend most of his first season in the G League, but if injuries force the Spurs to call him up, he’ll be ready to contribute.

Bryant wasn’t a critical piece during the Spurs’ playoff run, but he was getting some minutes during the postseason. His role was quite different than what his role was in this game, but it was still disappointing to see him struggle the way he did. The good news is that Bryant’s offensive role likely won’t expand much next season, so they’ll just need him to focus in on defense, which he is still more than capable of doing. However, it would be nice if he showed more offensive juice over the next couple weeks.

Reed was quiet in his first summer league game, but he has now recorded a double-double in two straight outings. With Jayden Quaintance still recovering from a knee injury, Reed has a chance to be the backup to Victor Wembanyama in year one. He won’t play enough to be a consistent double-double producer, but if he’s able to make an impact on the glass in the non-Wemby minutes, he’ll be a valuable piece in year one.

The combination of his two-way contract and the Spurs being loaded on the perimeter makes it challenging for Gillespie to achieve fantasy relevance during his rookie season. However, he shot the ball quite well on Monday, making five of his nine three-point attempts. Gillespie also dished out six assists while committing two turnovers in what was an excellent conclusion to his California Classic. He’ll look to do more of the same in Las Vegas at the end of the week.

A starter in both games he played at the California Classic, Reed recorded a double-double in Monday’s 88-84 defeat. And with fellow first-round pick Jayden Quaintance yet to play after revealing during his introductory press conference that he may need another procedure on his knee, the rookie out of UConn may be better equipped to compete for rotation minutes immediately. The Spurs won’t need Reed to be a prolific scorer, but his rebounding and defensive ability should give him an opportunity to contribute as a rookie.

Reed’s first bit of NBA action was a fairly unspectacular one. He shot inefficiently but made it to double figures as a scorer, while his seven boards led all San Antonio players for the game. Reed was selected with the 26th pick in this year’s draft. Even if he finds minutes in a talented Spurs frontcourt this upcoming season, it’s unlikely he will provide much fantasy value.

Donovan has 11 years of NBA head coaching experience between his stops with the Thunder and the Bulls. He won two college basketball championships with the University of Florida. Donovan left the Bulls in April and is putting a pause on his head coaching career. A decorate coach at 61-years-old, Donovan can certainly impart some wisdom on 44-year-old Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.

Harris, a 15-year NBA veteran, did a lot of good things for the Pistons in his latest two-year stint with the team. He was a starter on the court and a positive influence off the court for a young team with NBA Finals aspirations. Sound familiar? Harris, who turns 34 later this month, is slated for a similar role with the Spurs. Fantasy expectations should still remain low for Harris.

After beginning the 2025-26 season as a starter, Barnes fell out of the starting lineup just before the All-Star break, making just three starts the rest of the season. The veteran forward did not offer great fantasy value as a starter, and the situation became even more dire once he hit the bench. Barnes’ return gives San Antonio another experienced option to call upon in the frontcourt, but he’s unlikely to get the opportunities needed to affect fantasy basketball.

Instead of simply exercising his option worth $3 million, the Spurs have rewarded Champagnie handsomely with a new contract. Appearing in all 82 regular-season games, starting 68, the 6-foot-7 wing averaged 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.4 three-pointers, shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the foul line. While the Spurs did add more size via the draft, selecting Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr., Champagnie should still figure prominently in the team’s rotation next season.