San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has had an impressive NBA career. He won five championships with the Spurs franchise, coached several notable players, and had the honor of coaching the USA Men’s Basketball team. However, the 2022-23 Spurs squad is struggling mightily this season. For the first time in a long time, the Spurs have to tear down and rebuild. This includes parting ways with some of the franchise’s core elements.
San Antonio is just 9-19 this season, which is last in the Southwest Division and dead last in the Western Conference. One of the Spurs’ best players is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. If their season plays out the way it is now, San Antonio will need to move on from Jakob Poeltl. He has been with the team since the 2018-19 season. Poeltl was different from the trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. At the end of the season, he will have to make some tough decisions about what he wants to do next in his career.
NBA betting sites have the Spurs (+100000) to win the Finals this season.
Last from the AT&T Center. See you Saturday in Mexico City! ✈️ pic.twitter.com/9qXzEpJ9xJ
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 15, 2022
The Spurs center will become a free agent at the start of the season.
Jacob Poeltl said in an interview with Yahoo Sports that he understands he will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career at the end of this season. He is in the final year of a three-year, $26.3 million contract extension.
“I’ve never been in a situation where such unrestricted free enterprise is coming. It’s definitely a good situation, because in the NBA, a lot of times you’re — I don’t want to say stuck — but you feel like you’re a little bit sloppy. They can trade you wherever they want. It’s not the mindset you should have when you play, it’s the reality. Your contract can be transferred for as long or as little as you like. So it’s good to be in this situation, you can make your own decisions and evaluate what would be the best situation for me.
Poeltl should be proud that other teams are reaching out and the 27-year-old is interested in someone who still has a lot of untapped potential. The Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors have both been linked to the Spurs center. It could be a huge boost for a team looking to make a deep playoff run.
