<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-kelly-olynyk-shares-thoughts-playing-alongside-victor-wembanyama');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Kelly Olynyk shares real thoughts on playing alongside Victor Wembanyama');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Feb-12-2024-Toronto-Ontario-CAN-Toronto-Raptors-forward-Kelly-Olynyk-41-knocks-a-ball-away-from-San-Antonio-Spurs-center-Victor-Wembanyama-1-during-the-second-half-at-Scotiabank.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Spurs’ Kelly Olynyk shares real thoughts on playing alongside Victor Wembanyama</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-14T20:50:42-07:00">July 14th, 8:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-14T20:50:42-07:00">July 14th, 8:50pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kelly Olynyk is excited to begin the next chapter of his NBA <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/wizards-trade-grade-kelly-olynyk-deal-spurs">career with the San Antonio Spurs</a>, especially as a new teammate of Victor Wembanyama.</p><p>The Spurs acquired Olynyk in a trade with the Washington Wizards this summer. They acquired him in exchange for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and a 2026 second-round pick.</p><p>Olynyk <a href="https://x.com/NBATV/status/1944944167731237134" rel="noopener">appeared for an interview during NBATV’s broadcast</a> of the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz on Monday. He understands the huge chance he will have to play with Wembanyama, getting a chance to teach the young star of what he learned as a veteran center.</p><p>“That’s like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Obviously, he changed the game on both ends of the floor with his size, his length, his abilities to play, kind of do everything with the basketball. So we’re really excited about that. When you have someone protecting the rim behind you, it makes you a lot more confident,” Olynyk said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kelly Olynyk tells <a href="https://twitter.com/chrismilestv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chrismilestv</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/bwood_33?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bwood_33</a> he’s ready to help Wemby and the <a href="https://twitter.com/spurs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spurs</a> get back into the Playoffs 🗣️ <a href="https://t.co/lJRu2EZGyh">pic.twitter.com/lJRu2EZGyh</a></p><p>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1944944167731237134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>What lies ahead for Victor Wembanyama, Spurs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Dec-26-2023-San-Antonio-Texas-USA-Utah-Jazz-forward-Kelly-Olynyk-41-drives-to-the-basket-against-San-Antonio-Spurs-center-Victor-Wembanyama-1-in-the-first-half-at-the-Frost-Bank.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>At age 34, Kelly Olynyk learned a lot throughout his NBA career. This presents a great opportunity for him to assist Victor Wembanyama in further expanding his skillset.</p><p>Olynyk played 44 games last season, playing for the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He shot 50% from the field, including 41.8% from beyond the arc.</p><p>He helps a frontcourt that significantly improved this offseason, especially as Luke Kornet left the Boston Celtics to join the Spurs. This gives San Antonio comfort at the center position, providing Wembanyama plenty of assistance.</p><p>Another great sign is that Wembanyama will be ready to start next season. Last season ended early for him due to blood clots, which is now gone as doctors cleared him. The Spurs possess plenty of potential with the talents they have in De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell among others. With their frontcourt stronger than ever, this squad will be one to watch out for next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Kelly Olynyk shares real thoughts on playing alongside Victor Wembanyama

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-why-kelly-olynyk-trade-represents-next-step');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Kelly Olynyk trade represents next step for Spurs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kelly-Olynyk.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Kelly Olynyk trade represents next step for Spurs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-09T15:05:35-07:00">July 9th, 3:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-09T15:08:06-07:00">July 9th, 3:08pm</time><address><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LedesmaHector">Hector Ledesma</a>Hector Ledesma has been covering the Spurs in San Antonio since 2005, but he has been following them for even longer than that. An award-winning journalist born and raised in San Antonio, Hector has worked across all types of television and radio platforms. His work extends online and through social media (@HectorLedesmaTV) where he continues that work with ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-news-san-antonio-adds-victor-wembanyama-backup-in-trade-with-wizards">trading for Kelly Olynyk</a>, the San Antonio Spurs did more than add another quality big man to support superstar Victor Wembanyama. They’re continuing a shift – and perhaps sending a signal to the NBA during free agency – toward rounding out a roster that intends to compete.</p><p>Obvious as that may seem, the moves the Spurs have made over the previous two seasons focused on developing youth. This off-season signals a different path.</p><h2>Youth has dominated the Spurs roster last several years</h2><p>The Spurs dealt Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley, as well as the least favorable 2026 second-round pick of Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia, to acquire Olynyk. Along with Jeremy Sochan, both Branham and Wesley were all first-round picks of the Silver and Black in 2022. While Branham has contributed slightly more than Wesley since then, neither has made his way into the Spurs rotation consistently. Through their first three seasons in the NBA, the organization worked to develop their games, the last <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-immediate-reaction-to-winning-rookie-of-the-year">two years with Victor Wembanyama</a> at the center of the franchise.</p><p>Since drafting Wemby in 2023, the Spurs have featured rosters that have ranked among the youngest and second-youngest in the NBA. Players like Tre Jones, Sidy Cissoko, Dominick Barlow, Charles Bassey, Harrison Ingram, and Riley Minix, among others, have been added – some through two-way contracts – to fill out the fringes of the depth.</p><p>When the Spurs added veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes last summer, they were the only players older than 25 on the team at the start of the season.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/unnamed-2_532d4b.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2>What the Spurs are getting in Kelly Olynyk</h2><p>Since the start of last season, GM Brian Wright and company have traded for 27-year-old De’Aaron Fox. They started this off-season by adding 29-year-old center Luke Kornet. Then comes the deal with the Washington Wizards for the 34-year-old Olynyk. Already part of a previous trade this offseason, the veteran big man didn’t play for Washington, but instead suited up for the New Orleans Pelicans last season.</p><p>At 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, Olynyk appeared in 44 games last season with the Toronto Raptors and Pelicans. He averaged <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/olynyke01.html" rel="noopener">8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 20.2 minutes</a> while shooting 50% from the floor and 41.8% from 3-point range. The 12-year veteran holds career averages of 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists across 800 games with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and Utah Jazz as well. The Dallas Mavericks initially selected Olynyk with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft following three seasons at Gonzaga.</p><p>The Spurs struggled to shoot around Wembanyama last season. For his career, Olynyk has shot 48.6% from the field, 37.1% from beyond the arc, and 79.6% from the foul line.</p><p>The Toronto native represented Team Canada on the international stage, helping secure the country’s first FIBA World Cup medal with a bronze at the 2023 tournament to go along with a bronze medal in the 2015 FIBA AmeriCup.</p><p>Along with Barnes, Fox, and Kornet, Olynyk also brings the Spurs postseason experience. He has appeared in 48 playoff games with Boston (2014-17) and Miami (2017-20), averaging 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game.</p><p>The Spurs hope he adds to those totals in what will be Wembanyama’s third season, marking the phenom’s first taste of the playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Kelly Olynyk trade represents next step for Spurs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-trade-grade-kelly-olynyk-deal-spurs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards trade grade for Kelly Olynyk deal with Spurs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Spurs-Kelly-Olynyk.jpg"><figcaption>© Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Wizards trade grade for Kelly Olynyk deal with Spurs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-08T20:30:26-07:00">July 8th, 8:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-09T08:30:39-07:00">July 9th, 8:30am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/pelicans-news-wizards-cj-mccollum-jordan-poole-trade">Wizards trading for veteran center Kelly Olynyk</a> this summer made sense on paper, but it wasn’t a marriage meant to last. They rerouted the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-news-san-antonio-adds-victor-wembanyama-backup-in-trade-with-wizards">34-year-old to the San Antonio Spurs</a> on Tuesday in a move that builds upon their already-flexible financial situation.</p><p>The full trade details are below:</p><p><b>Wizards get:</b></p><p>G Malaki Branham</p><p>G Blake Wesley</p><p>2026 second-round pick (least favorable of PHI, DAL, OKC)</p><p><b>Spurs get:</b></p><p>C Kelly Olynyk</p><p>This deal gives Washington <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1942738138922619146" rel="noopener">more salary cap room</a>, via HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.</p><p>“By trading Kelly Olynyk to the Spurs, the Washington Wizards increased their tax and apron buffer to take on more salary throughout the summer and season,” he reported. “Washington also created a $13.5 million TPE [traded player exception]. Olynyk joins a competitive Spurs team while in a contract year ($13.45 million).”</p><p>TPEs are created when a team trades a player and receives less incoming salary than what it sent out. That’s what happened here, as Olynyk’s $13.45 million salary next season is more than Branham’s ($4.96 million) and Wesley’s ($4.73 million) combined. Now, the Wizards can use that TPE to take back $13.5 million in salary without adding to their cap or luxury tax.</p><p>That will come in handy later, when they inevitably take on more unwanted money in exchange for draft capital and/or young players. For now, they must cut down their active roster, which currently has 17 players:</p><ul><li>F Khris Middleton</li><li>G CJ McCollum</li><li>G Marcus Smart</li><li>G Corey Kispert</li><li>F/C Richaun Holmes</li><li>F/C Alex Sarr</li><li>G Tre Johnson</li><li>G Bilal Coulibaly</li><li>G Bub Carrington</li><li>F Cam Whitmore</li><li>F Will Riley</li><li>G Malaki Branham</li><li>G AJ Johnson</li><li>G/F Kyshawn George</li><li>G Dillon Jones</li><li>G Blake Wesley</li><li>F Justin Champagnie</li></ul><p>Although Washington currently has a dearth of centers, Holmes is another player who could be <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1942741574661857370" rel="noopener">on his way out</a> soon, via Scotto.</p><p>“Sources: Wizards center Richaun Holmes is partially guaranteed $250,000 of his $13.28 million salary for the 2025-26 season, which makes him a prime candidate to be eventually waived or traded, given Washington’s roster logjam,” he reported. “He averaged 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds last season.”</p><p>Eating almost no dead money after cutting the 6-foot-9-inch, 235-pounder’s expiring contract would easily open a roster spot the Wizards could use to get a taller center. Other than the 7-foot Alex Sarr, they have nobody over 6-foot-9-inches. However, they could bring back the 7-foot Tristan Vukcevic, who’s a restricted free agent.</p><p>Trading/buying out Smart’s expiring $21 million salary and trading Kispert could also be in the cards, as both players are expendable. Regardless, Washington has multiple ways to trim the roster before the season begins in October. The bottom line right now is that it turned an unwanted asset into some useful ones, including the TPE.</p><h2><b>Wizards add more assets to aid rebuild</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/San-Antonio-Spurs-guard-Blake-Wesley.jpeg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Wesley and Branham fit what Washington is looking for right now: young players who were drafted in the first round. This trade now gives the team 11 first-round picks over the last four NBA Drafts:</p><ul><li>Branham (No. 2o overall, 2022)</li><li>Wesley (No. 25 overall, 2022)</li><li>Coulibaly (No. 7 overall, 2023)</li><li>Whitmore (No. 20 overall, 2023)</li><li>Sarr (No. 2 overall, 2024)</li><li>Carrington (No. 14 overall, 2024)</li><li>Johnson (No. 23 overall, 2024)</li><li>George (No. 24 overall, 2024)</li><li>Jones (No. 26 overall, 2024)</li><li>Johnson (No. 6 overall, 2025)</li><li>Riley (No. 21 overall, 2025)</li></ul><p>Branham is averaging 8.5 points on 43.9 percent shooting (33.6 percent 3 PT) with two rebounds and 1.7 assists over 19 minutes across his career, while Wesley checks in at 4.3 points on 40.9 percent shooting (29.7 percent 3 PT) with 1.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists over 14.3 minutes. It wouldn’t be tragic for the Wizards if neither player pans out, as they’re both on expiring deals before hitting restricted free agency. They could either try them out as role players in the backcourt, trade them to another team, or waive them and eat the dead money.</p><p>Meanwhile, Washington now has five picks and one pick swap next summer, not including its top-eight protected selection owned by the New York Knicks:</p><ul><li>First-round pick (least favorable of OKC, HOU, or LAC)</li><li>First-round pick swap (PHX, protected for selections 9-30)</li><li>Second-round pick (via PHX)</li><li>Second-round pick</li><li>Second-round pick (via MIN, NYK, NOP, or POR)</li><li>Second-round pick (least favorable of PHI, DAL, or OKC)</li></ul><p>Washington is once again in a position to add more high-upside talent in next summer’s draft. Assuming that it gets back its pick from the Knicks after finishing near the bottom of the standings, it will have at least two first-rounders and four second-rounders to either draft players with or trade, if it doesn’t deal those picks over the next year.</p><p>Furthermore, Wizards fans now won’t have to watch Olynyk play for their team after he scored 26 points on them with the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Celtics won 115-105. Washington hasn’t won a playoff series since then, and the 6-foot-11-inch, 240-pounder’s presence in its lineup would be a constant reminder of that, despite its need at center.</p><p>The Wizards were projected to clear about $100 million in cap space next summer before this trade, and now they add this year’s TPE to that financial bounty. In an era where most contenders are under cap stress, Washington will be in a position to outbid other squads for free agents and add expensive contracts through trades as it continues to draft young talent. The team must add center depth and solve its roster logjam to help its young core develop next season, but that should come with later moves.</p><p><b>Trade grade: B</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards trade grade for Kelly Olynyk deal with Spurs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-news-david-griffin-reveals-plans-newly-acquired-bruce-brown-kelly-olynyk');   ga('set', 'title', 'David Griffin reveals plans for newly acquired Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/David-Griffin-reveals-plans-for-newly-acquired-Bruce-Brown-Kelly-Olynyk.jpg"></figure><h1>David Griffin reveals plans for newly acquired Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-11T13:46:33-08:00">February 11th, 1:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-11T13:46:33-08:00">February 11th, 1:46pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-trade-grade-for-brandon-ingram-deal-with-raptors">New Orleans Pelicans made some important moves</a> ahead of the NBA trade deadline as they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-pelicans-trade-brandon-ingram-nba-deadline">now have both Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk</a> on the roster. The Pelicans are currently in last place in the Western Conference, and they are trying to build for the future. That is exactly why they wanted to bring in guys like Brown and Olynyk. Head coach David Griffin is planning to have them around for a while.</p><p>Adding Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk to the roster gives the Pelicans some more experience. That is what David Griffin wanted to get, and he is <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1889406958094131459" rel="noopener">excited about what these two guys bring</a> to the team.</p><p>“We need more veteran presence,” Griffin said, according to a post from Michael Scotto. “We needed more basketball IQ. We needed more floor spacing around Zion [Williamson]. And what we really needed was championship caliber human beings and championship caliber winners. And in Bruce Brown, we get a true champion. We get somebody who’s been a critical part of being a glue guy on a championship team. In Kelly Olynyk, we get somebody who’s a floor spacing big with incredibly high basketball IQ as Bruce has as well.”</p><p>Griffin and the Pelicans didn’t add these guys to the team just to get rid of them at the end of the season. Griffin isn’t planning on this being a short-term thing.</p><p>“I think that’s going to make everyone’s job a little easier, because you’re going to put guys in roles that they are more capable of playing, and their basketball IQ will help everybody play off one another a little bit more. We’re really excited about both of these players from the standpoint of what they offer us moving forward, this is not viewed as a short-term situation with either player in our minds, and we hope as the season unfolds, they grow to feel the same about us.”</p><p>The Pelicans have a lot of building to do, and we know that everything isn’t going to get solved overnight. However, it sounds like David Griffin has a plan regarding how he wants to fix things, and he is getting stuff done.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

David Griffin reveals plans for newly acquired Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pelicans-kelly-olynyk-deal-gives-new-orleans-guide-in-jonas-valanciunas-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans: Kelly Olynyk deal gives New Orleans guide in Jonas Valanciunas talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Kelly_Olynyk_extension_gives_Pelicans_guide_in_Jonas_Valanciunas_negotiations.webp"></figure><h1>Pelicans: Kelly Olynyk deal gives New Orleans guide in Jonas Valanciunas talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-04T19:39:59-08:00">March 4th, 7:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-04T19:42:05-08:00">March 4th, 7:42pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans stood pat this summer and doubled down on the status quo at the NBA Trade Deadline. All the smoke and mirrors around Naji Marshall and Jonas Valanciunas being expiring contracts on the move were misguided. Executive Vice President David Griffin did not build out this roster to wash the progress away as soon as the locker room was fully healthy. The franchise was never going to acquire a piece that could fill what Valanciunas does for this team.</p><p>The newly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-jonas-valanciunas-passes-test-against-stout-pacers-frontcourt">recertified as playoff-approved Valanciunas</a> and the Pelicans have a guidepost for future contract negotiations. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-toronto-kelly-olynyk-contract-extension" rel="noopener">Toronto Raptors and Kelly Olynyk</a> have come to terms on a two-year, $26.25 million contract extension. Olynyk is a year older but a bit more of a mobile perimeter threat than Valanciunas, who is far more dominant in rebounding and patrolling the paint.</p><p>Valanciunas has never been one to press the issue in free agency. The 31-year-old has preferred the security of having a multi-year deal in place and getting to have a big say in locker room chemistry. The Lithuanian loves New Orleans by all accounts, and it’s easy to see why both sides would be agreeable to a new deal. Willie Green explained why <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIU4bGqp2BQ">after the last practice</a> before the Pelicans flew out to Toronto:</p><p>“(Valanciunas) has been fantastic,” Green boasted. “Everything that we are asking him to do, to try and have more spacing, sacrificing because Zion (Williamson) is coming down the lane, and he’s still making himself available offensively. Defensively he’s sound. And it’s because of our communication. He and I, the rest of the coaches, his teammates. We’re constantly talking about game-to-game and what’s the plan. JV has been great this season.”</p><p>A three-year deal with the third season partially guaranteed for around Olynyk’s $26-28 million would be a team-friendly value. The contract would be moveable in a trade if needed, but also Jonas Valanciunas would feel like a part of the future even if the Pelicans bring in a younger prospect to play big minutes as the team’s nominal center.</p><p>Unlike the Kira Lewis Jr. transaction, finances would not be the first and final straw to consider in that Valanciunas scenario.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
8.7	4.7	2.9	0.4	0.8

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
8.7	4.7	2.9	0.4	0.8

Kelly Olynyk

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Pelicans: Kelly Olynyk deal gives New Orleans guide in Jonas Valanciunas talks

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