Spurs fans will be happy to know that, despite the uncertainty in the fan base about how good Devin Vassell is, other teams value him and would be interested in trading for him. HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto revealed as much in his latest intel piece. That's important information for a fan base that argues religiously over how valuable the former Florida State Seminole is.
"The Spurs have all the potential ingredients to make a blockbuster trade, including draft picks, coveted guard Devin Vassell..." - Michael Scotto
When you're in this business, you understand how much words matter. The drive to speak clearly is strong, as misinterpretations are nothing but a headache to writers and analysts. Scotto wouldn't have used the word "coveted" were he not confident that several teams are interested in Dev. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll be gone this offseason, but it's become increasingly likely.
Vassell may have played his last game for the Silver and Black
This isn't necessarily a reason to celebrate because a person and their emotions are involved. San Antonio drafted Vassell, so there's a connection there that will be strained whenever he's moved. Everyone can see what's being built in the 210, and anyone would want to be a part of it. If you're already there, you should have a leg up in that department, but it just hasn't worked out as it should have.
Maybe it was always ill-advised to believe that the Georgia product could be the second go-to guy on a championship team, but he was taking yearly leaps offensively in his first few seasons, and the tools are there for him to be an elite defender.
You can't really blame the Spurs for believing that something special had fallen into their lap when he increased his scoring average by at least six points in consecutive years. He may still turn into a really good player, but they can't afford to wait on that any longer. Stephon Castle showed up and basically took the role of second option by force, and Vassell struggled with being third in the pecking order.
Vassell's trajectory has changed
When Wembanyama was drafted, it would have been nice to feel like he could ease into his offensive game because Dev was taking the lead, but he wasn't capable of that. It forced the offense to shift quickly to relying on Victor as the hub, and while he was up to the task, it shouldn't have had to be that way.
Not everyone is meant to be a number one, though—even for small stretches. That's okay for a player under 25, but you hoped that he'd be at least to do his part of the heavy lifting and he was inconsistent, but gave reason for hope after turning in more than a few solid performances during Vic's rookie season.
However, when this year began and he still wasn't ready, fans were annoyed. He misses a little too much time, and he can't control that, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating. He showed up and played well off the bench at first, but was terrible once put back into the starting lineup.
Could a solution have been to put him back on the bench? Sure, but that still makes him a prime candidate for trade. He's making almost $30 million a year. They didn't give him that contract to bring him off the bench as a sixth man or 7th option.
Good thing the league still covets what he brings to the table, because now's the perfect time to move him. Brian Wright has done well on the trade market recently, so I anticipate whatever deal they put Dev in to be a good one for the Silver and Black.