Spurs' roster formation and unsigned free agents

Let's look at the Spurs' roster formation with the addition of Chris Paul and upcoming acquisition of Harrison Barnes. Plus, which free agents are still not signed?

Sunday evening, I presented myself with two choices of what I wanted to write about:

• Option A: The Spurs’ Summer League loss to the Kings by 26 points, in which rookie Stephon Castle didn’t play.

• Option B: Looking at how the Spurs’ roster is shaping up and which free agents are still available.

I went with Option B. Let’s dive in!

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Spurs’ Roster Formation

Now that Chris Paul has officially signed his contract and with the upcoming trade for Harrison Barnes, let’s look at how the Spurs’ roster is shaping up and which positions of need are still present for the roster.

It’s too early to know the starting lineup and second unit rotations, but what I’d like to do is put the players in three groups: Guards (playing the 1 or 2), Wings (playing the 2 or 3), Forwards (playing the 3 or 4) and Bigs (playing the 4 or 5). I didn’t include two-way players, since there’s a limit on the amount of games a two-way player can play during the season.

• Guards: Chris Paul, Tre Jones, Blake Wesley

• Wings: Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Malaki Branham

• Forwards: Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Sidy Cissoko, Harrison Ingram

• Bigs: Victor Wembanyama, Zach Collins, Charles Bassey

Here’s why some players’ names are in italics:

• Julian Champagnie, Charles Bassey - In order to acquire Barnes into cap space, the Spurs may need to trade or waive both Champagnie and Bassey.

• Harrison Ingram - Ingram has yet to sign a contract, so it’s unclear if he’ll have a full NBA deal or be on a two-way contract.

Looking at the roster above, the Spurs could still use some shooting out on the wing and from the forward spot. They could also use some size in the frontcourt, in the event Bassey has to be waived or traded.

Again, this is very early in the thought process, but here’s an early projection of a 10-man rotation: