The San Antonio Spurs have reportedly agreed to contracts to bring back two big men in free agency.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Spurs have re-signed center Charles Bassey.
Additionally, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that San Antonio re-signed Sandro
Mamukelashvili. Both big men agreed to a one-year, $2.2 million contract that will be fully guaranteed.
The final two seasons of each big man’s career were spent with the Spurs. Mamukelashvili has averaged
6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 65 games with San Antonio thus far. With 54 games under his
belt, Massey has averaged 4.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game for the squad.
Victor Wembanyama, the current Rookie of the Year, will have more depth behind him now that both
big men are on the team.
San Antonio Spurs Re-Sign Pair of Big Men
Sandro Mamukelashvili: “I Love Being [in San Antonio]”
After the 2023–24 season concluded, Mamukelashvili discussed his impending free agency. The former
Seton Hall player finally became a restricted free agent, which meant it was likely he would rejoin the
team. Nevertheless, Mamukelashvili expressed his belief that San Antonio is where he will ultimately
end up.
Mamukelashvili had a poor start to the 2023–24 season, but he finished strong. Mamukelashvili started
five of the season’s final eight games. He averaged 11.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game
throughout this time. He also had field goal percentages of 47.25 and 37% from three-point range.
With his promising flashes, the 25-year-old should be a reliable role player for the Spurs in the
upcoming campaign.
Charles Bassey is Aiming to Bounce Back From Season-Ending ACL Injury
Last year, Bassey played for San Antonio in the first 19 games of the season. With an average of 10.8
minutes each game, the big man was progressively taking on more responsibility. In a December loss to
the New Orleans Pelicans, Bassey put up eight points, eleven rebounds, and three blocks in what turned
out to be his final game of the season because of an ACL injury. Throughout the season, Bassey shot
72.5% from the floor and averaged 3.3 points and 4 rebounds a game.
It will be intriguing to watch what kind of role the Nigerian native plays in now that he is officially back
to the Spurs for the upcoming season. Similar to Mamukelashvili, Bassey used his limited season to
show off his skill set.
The Last Word on the San Antonio Spurs Free Agency Moves
Resigning both of these large men to such low-risk deals is the least risky thing the Spurs could do. The
Spurs’ summer actions thus far seem to be going in the correct way, as seen by their second straight 22-
60 result. The Spurs signed point guard Chris Paul, selected guard Stephon Castle, re-signed
Mamukelashvili and Bassey, and acquired forward Harrison Barnes.
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