According to reports, the San Antonio Spurs have agreed to terms with two big guys who are available for free agency. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that center Charles Bassey has rejoined the Spurs. Furthermore, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, San Antonio re-signed Sandro Mamukelashvili. A one-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $2.2 million was agreed to by both big guys.
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.
Two Big Men Are Re-Signed by the San Antonio Spurs
Mamukelashvili Sandro: “I Love Being Here 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.
After Friday’s home victory over the Denver Nuggets, Mamu said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I love being here,” according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “I love being around the guys, connecting with them, learning, growing.” I’m excited about the future and will be overjoyed if it arrives.
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 hopes to recover from his ACL injury that ended the season.
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.
Final Word on the Free Agency Actions of the San Antonio Spurs
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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