Spurs to sign Gorgui Dieng once he clears waivers, defeating multiple contenders for veteran big man, report says

The San Antonio Spurs are set to sign veteran Gorgui Dieng after former Memphis Grizzlies center clears the waivers, by Marc Stein of the New York Times. Dieng will fill the void left by LaMarcus Aldridge’s buyout of his contract on Saturday and allow San Antonio to focus on some of their younger players touching more on offense.

In order to make room for Dieng on the roster, Spurs will take out Marquese Chriss, for The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Sunday. The team traded to Chriss before Thursday’s deadline. Before choosing Spurs, Dieng reportedly aroused the interest of several suitors across the league which included the Suns, Knicks, Clippers, 76ers, Raptors, Heat and Nets.

While many of those teams on this list are better positioned to make a playoff run, Dieng joins a Spurs side that had a hole in their frontcourt, giving him the opportunity to play longer. He was only averaging 16 minutes per game on a young Grizzlies side who were focused on growing their young core centered on Ja Morant. Dieng was pushed lower in the depth graph in favor of playing a smaller roster with guys like Brandon Clarke and Xavier Tillman in the frontcourt.

Along with Spurs, Dieng will likely receive a large chunk of the minutes from the save center behind Jakob Poeltl and serve as a mentor to the other young greats on the squad. Although he’s no longer a regular league starter, Dieng offers a great defense option as a rim protector and rebounder. He’s currently averaging eight points and 4.5 rebounds, but with more playing time those averages are likely to rise in San Antonio.

San Antonio being able to pass Dieng to other teams seen as title contenders is a huge deal for a team that is at the heart of the playoff hunt. Spurs have found unexpected success this season thanks to DeMar DeRozan’s excellent All-Star level play and improved play from young players like Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson.

Their perfect mix of veteran leadership and disjointed young players pushed them to a 23-20 record, good enough for the seventh seed in the West at the moment. Spurs are going to miss Aldridge’s offensive production, but without him it will allow guys like Murray and Johnson to have more of an impact on that side. The addition of Dieng will give them a boost in defense and should keep them in search of a playoff berth for the remainder of the season.