Dusty Garza 🏀 NBA Writer/Analyst | @TheDunkDigest & @1200WOAI | Former @FOX29, @News4SA | contributor @NBATV & @SiriusXMNBA | Emmy Awarded TV & Film Producer
Los Angeles, CA
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
Stephon Castle says Madison Square Garden was underwhelming compared to OKC:
"It was underwhelming in that first game. They made it seem like it was going to be way crazier in there. OKC was way louder than MSG."
(Via @GQMagazine, h/t @TheNBABase)
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
@dy1anharper and @StephonCastle are the NBA’s new dynamic duo. Can they get the @spurs to the promised land?
“We understand what goes into [making] it," Harper says. "Now, we got to do it.” Castle echoes his backcourt partner’s thought: “We finna go back.”
Read as the #GQHYPE cover stars share their plan to overcome the memory of a crushing home-court defeat—and an alleged hex thrown at them by Jay-Z—to make good on their limitless potential: gq.visitlink.me/SQUCY1
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
BREAKING: Golden State’s Stephen Curry has agreed on a two-year, $116 million contract extension with the franchise, with a player option in 2028-29, sources tell ESPN.
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
Victor Wembanyama gets some high praise from Stephen A. Smith 🔥
Love to see the media respect greatness👏
NBA on ESPN
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Two under-the-radar names on the Spurs training camp roster with backgrounds worth knowing...
Jon Elmore (#33, G, 6-3)
If you watch ESPN’s summer hoops, you know him. Elmore is a certified legend in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), running the show for Marshall’s alumni squad (Herd That) competing for the $1M winner-take-all prize. He’s Conference USA’s all-time leading scorer (2,600+ pts), knocked off Wichita State in March Madness, and is an absolute microwave from deep with deep-range pull-ups and Elam Ending clutch genes.
Taelon Peter (#8, G, 6-3)
A pure grinder. Peter dominated Division II at Arkansas Tech, made the leap to D1 at Liberty, and immediately won ASUN Newcomer of the Year. He’s the ideal modern 3-and-D archetype: a 40%+ sniper from beyond the arc who picks up 94 feet and wreaks havoc in passing lanes.
Both are Exhibit 10 camp invites likely bound for the Austin Spurs backcourt but keep an eye on them. #PorVida
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
Who was more important to the Spurs franchise? Tim Duncan or David Robinson?
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That ESPN’s 2026-27 NBA Ranking puts four San Antonio players in the top 100: Victor Wembanyama at No. 2, Stephon Castle at 38, De’Aaron Fox at 43 and Dylan Harper at 50.
That Knicks and the loaded 76ers each placed five while Oklahoma City leads the league with a whopping seven players.
Clearly, the writers gave OKC G.M. Sam Presti credit for assembling a squad that still has weapons after back-to-back deep playoff runs, but the Spurs’ young core has already closed the gap on the West’s other contenders.
And if goes without saying that Wembanyama remains the clearest individual difference-maker on both sides of the floor.
The NBA’s top 100 players ranked by @espn:
100. Lu Dort
99. RJ Barrett
98. Jalen Suggs
97. Caleb Wilson
96. Peyton Watson
95. Donovan Clingan
94. Coby White
93. Draymond Green
92. Jimmy Butler
91. Fred VanVleet
90. Ayo Dosunmu
89. Josh Hart
88. Matas Buzelis
87. CJ McCollum
86. Norman Powell
85. Cam Boozer
84. Alex Caruso
83. Darryn Peterson
82. Jrue Holiday
81. Naz Reid
80. Josh Giddey
79. Ajay Mitchell
78. AJ Dybantsa
77. Ja Morant
76. Dillon Brooks
75. Cason Wallace
74. Isaiah Hartenstein
73. Walker Kessler
72. VJ Edgecombe
71. Tyler Herro
70. Payton Pritchard
69. Damian Lillard
68. Keyonte George
67. Paul George
66. Ivica Zubac
65. Brandon Ingram
64. Aaron Gordon
63. Jarrett Allen
62. Darius Garland
61. Mikal Bridges
60. Michael Porter Jr.
59. Ausar Thompson
58. Domantas Sabonis
57. Trey Murphy III
56. Jaden McDaniels
55. Nickeil Alexander-Walker
54. Julius Randle
53. Jaren Jackson Jr.
52. Desmond Bane
51. Zion Williamson
50. Dylan Harper
49. Lauri Markkanen
48. Kon Knueppel
47. Derrick White
46. Brandon Miller
45. Franz Wagner
44. Trae Young
43. De’Aaron Fox
42. Rudy Gobert
41. Joel Embiid
40. Anthony Davis
39. Kyrie Irving
38. Stephon Castle
37. Austin Reaves
36. Paolo Banchero
35. LaMelo Ball
34. OG Anunoby
33. Jalen Duren
32. James Harden
31. Amen Thompson
30. Alperen Sengun
29. Pascal Siakam
28. Bam Adebayo
27. Deni Avdija
26. Evan Mobley
25. Jalen Williams
24. Chet Holmgren
23. Cooper Flagg
22. Jalen Johnson
21. Jamal Murray
20. Devin Booker
19. Tyrese Haliburton
18. LeBron James
17. Scottie Barnes
16. Karl-Anthony Towns
15. Kawhi Leonard
14. Jaylen Brown
13. Kevin Durant
12. Stephen Curry
11. Tyrese Maxey
10. Donovan Mitchell
9. Jayson Tatum
8. Cade Cunningham
7. Anthony Edwards
6. Jalen Brunson
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Luka Doncic
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Victor Wembanyama
1. Nikola Jokic
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ESPN just dropped Jokic at No. 1 over Wembanyama in a razor-thin NBA Rank vote. After watching the Joker drop 20/9/8 then 34/13 on Wemby in this summer’s Serbia-France FIBA exhibitions (they split the two thrillers), it’s hard to argue against it. Wemby’s ceiling is otherworldly, but Jokic’s vision, passing and mid-range mastery still look like the most complete game on the planet right now. Do you agree with this ranking?
The top 10 players in the NBA, per @espn:
10. Donovan Mitchell
9. Jayson Tatum
8. Cade Cunningham
7. Anthony Edwards
6. Jalen Brunson
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Luka Doncic
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Victor Wembanyama
1. Nikola Jokic
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Live from New York...
Jalen Brunson will host the Season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live this Saturday, September 26th!
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
Here this morning for @SpursJackals auditions at Frost Bank Center.
No, I am not trying out, but there are hundreds expected today with space for around 175 members. Participants will compete in three rounds. Those advancing to the final will be here awhile. #PorVida
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
An anonymous NBA scout spoke to @SInow about the blueprint to slowing down Victor Wembanyama next season👀
“Draw him out to the corner…. I'd be curious to see if teams take the same approach the Knicks did during the regular season…. they really tired him out by just moving him around, attacking him. They were putting him in ball screens early in the possession, which is kind of the thing that common sense would tell you not to do. But they would put him in that screen, move him around, and I thought they did a good job of wearing him out.”
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The video tweet posted by @ringer is blowing up because Bill Simmons floated a classic "trade-machine shockwave" that directly touches the fallout from the Spurs' Finals loss to the Knicks and the Clippers fallout from the Kawhi investigation.
Clippers fans love it because acquiring a locked-down, All-Star point guard in Fox for four years gives them a lenitimate floor general but also some much needed draft picks.
Some spurs fans dig it because Garland offers a lethal, off-ball three-point stroke and elite playmaking that creates clean spacing around Wemby, rather than having three ball-dominant slashers (Fox, Castle, and Harper) competing for touches. It also shortens San Antonio's salary commitment to a two-year timeline.
But here are some of the reasons why you shouldn't buy the new jerseys yet:
The Spurs aren't attaching precious draft capital to move Fox, who the team is committed to in multiple ways (as I said in my tweet below).
He's 28, fresh off an NBA Finals run, and San Antonio doesn't operate by panic-dumping stars as negative assets.
Add in Garland's injury history and defensive limitations next to their young guards, and the brass balks.
Besides that, as I said, in another tweet, the agent that represents both of these guys already thought these scenarios through meticulously and he decided along with Fox that Fox was a better fit. They both worked hard behind the scenes to make the move to San Antonio happen and now there's no going back- at least not until the Spurs try another pull at the Finals.
Spurs fans and this Spurs squad are not watching the same De’Aaron Fox.
Outside the building, the Finals still own the tape. The Game 4 layup. The serious ankle injury. The empty fourth quarters. Barkley saying "go with Castle and Harper." Magic saying a point guard has to know the situation.
Parts of the timeline wanted him shipped the second the parade didn’t happen. Mitch Johnson even joked about it saying he’d been “fired 212 times” and they’d “traded Fox 72 times.”
Inside the building, the temperature has never moved. Spurs GM Brian Wright even said: “ultimate faith… no wavering.”
Internally he’s the catalyst- the vet who accepted Wemby as the face, shared the rock with two young slashers, and still flipped the closer switch when many nights needed it.
Mike Brown used to say Fox's demeanor was “similar to Tim Duncan.” Never too high. Never too low. Still competing.
That’s also the version Dylan Harper just put on record when my colleague @ScoopB spoke to him.
No feud. No cold war over minutes. “Fox took me under his wing my whole first year… we’re all super close. That’s kind of my uncle.”
Families, kids, grind, how to control a game. What’s understood doesn’t need to be explained because haters are gonna hate anyway.
Same guy hosting Wemby, Barnes, and welcoming Tobias Harris at his own home gym in Houston so training camp isn’t the first time they meet. And the brand side quietly matches the internal view. When Steph Curry walked and took Curry Brand with him, Under Armour didn’t orphan Fox. They pulled him out from under Curry’s label and made the Fox 3 a straight UA signature - the first model off the Curry umbrella, Fox logo on the tongue, UA on the heel. After the biggest basketball name in the building left, they handed Fox the spotlight.
Many Spurs fans still see the finals miss. The org still sees the thermostat. Harper still sees his uncle. UA still sees the face after Curry.
That’s the Fox argument heading into camp. Not whether he’s loud. Whether you trust the quiet.
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Wild bar-room debate, especially among fans who lack the added perspective, but San Antonio preaches patience over a splashy reshuffle involving two players represented by the same power agent who worked very hard to help get Fox back to his home state... and to the NBA finals.
I know for a fact that NBA agent Rich Paul had been planning to line up Garland up for the Spurs before the February 2025 De’Aaron Fox trade.
At the time Fox did not want to leave Sacramento, while Garland was frustrated in Cleveland and wanted out.
Paul viewed San Antonio as a strong landing spot because the Spurs needed a point guard and Garland’s shooting and playmaking would fit next to Victor Wembanyama.
Paul also told Garland he did not want him to “take a dip” by landing in a worse situation which is exactly where he is now.
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"I was with San Antonio in the draft room..."
Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković spent 2004–2011 with the Spurs- and on draft night 2011, he was in the room when San Antonio traded for Kawhi Leonard.
15 years later, the two are united in Toronto.
Legion Hoops
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
SCOOP: LeBron James will be paid $15 million per year under his endorsement deal with Polymarket.
That's roughly $11 million more than the 76ers will pay him this season to play basketball.
Reporting with @sportsrapport for @FOS:
frontofficesports.com/articl…
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Eight months later, the Knicks are still trying to unload a promising young French wing the Spurs had spotted, worked out and then nearly traded with NY for.
That player is Pacôme Dadiet. At the 2026 trade deadline, New York tried to package him with Guerschon Yabusele for Jeremy Sochan, who had fallen out of San Antonio’s rotation.
He was the cheap, young, French add-on that was part of the wave of French talent flooding the NBA. Dadiet has spoken openly about how inspiring it was to watch fellow countryman Wembanyama pave the way as a global icon.
The Spurs' international scouting department, which still remains a step ahead of the rest of the league, had spotted him and a teammate they did draft and stash in round 2: Juan Núñez.
He and Pacôme Dadiet entered the 2024 NBA Draft having just won a lot together at Ratiopharm Ulm, the powerhouse German talent factory.
San Antonio said no to that trade because of Yabusele’s $5.78 million player option for the next season and Sochan eventually signed with the Knicks after the Spurs just waived him.
Some say the Spurs were never really chasing him and that the Knicks were just trying to move money, had used him as filler in that proposed trade. Either way, it now it appears they’re still trying to salary-dump his expiring contract.
Pacôme Dadiet is a French player for Ratiopharm Ulm of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). Our French scout considers him “A lesser-known French prospect who can create his shot and has a great body for a small forward who also plays guard. He had some nice games when playing against Zaccarie Risacher during the Eurocup.” Standing at 6’8 and weighing 217 pounds, the 18-year-old is a capable natural shooter from all over the floor, but he needs to work on his defensive skills. A few mock drafts have him going as early as the latter part of the first round and some think he will be a “steal of the draft.” Dadiet grew up playing for a small French club called Saint-Charles Charenton alongside fellow 2024 draft prospect Tidjane Salaun. He could fit well alongside Wemby as an off-ball cutter, connective passer, and spot-up shooter but he has reportedly been telling NBA teams that he doesn’t want to become a “draft and stash” project. It may be that if he doesn’t get his wish, Dadiet might elect to withdraw since International NBA draft prospects have until 4:00 pm CT on June 16 to withdraw their names from consideration for the 2024 NBA Draft.
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SpursRΞPORTΞR retweeted
Spurs G League affiliate Austin Spurs held open tryouts, giving players a chance to compete for a roster spot with a $200 non-refundable registration fee 👀💯
(via @austin_spurs, @spurs)
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Spurs fans already arguing over who they’d protect in the 2028 expansion draft and a lot of people are leaving De’Aaron Fox off the list. Wemby, Castle and Harper first, then Fox becomes the prize Vegas or Seattle builds around as their franchise star. 🤷🏻
For the NBA expansion draft in 2028 for Las Vegas and Seattle, teams will be able to protect eight players from being selected.
Here’s how rosters might look, if an expansion took place right now:
Las Vegas:
Starters: De’Aaron Fox, Alex Caruso, Kelly Oubre, Jerami Grant, Myles Turner
Bench: Anfernee Simons, Isaiah Joe, Khris Middleton, Luke Kennard, Buddy Hield, Steven Adams, Goga Bitadze, Al Horford, Precious Achiuwa, Jordan Poole
Seattle:
Starters: Jrue Holiday, Tim Hardaway Jr., Naji Marshall, Paul George, Jusuf Nurkic
Bench: Dennis Schröder, Jordan Clarkson, Caris LeVert, Johnny Furphy, Terance Mann, Jaylen Clark, Ben Simmons, Zach Collins, Zeke Nnaji, Thomas Bryant
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