Speaking of LaVine, I recommend this video and I'll expand on how it informs the Spurs' problems here.
I forgot who suggested this video (sorry for not looking it up). I recommend it. I don’t think he says anything groundbreaking but he helps piece together recent history and the evolution of the game.
This video helped confirm to me why the Spurs are ill-equipped for the present and future with Wemby. They tried to play a true C at PF, a dying position. Their other intriguing young prospect is a true PF and they tried to play him at PG which is the most necessary position. Aside from backup PG Tre Jones and some bigs, the rest of the roster is SGs who aren’t playmakers or great defenders which (spoiler alert) is the other dying position. They don’t have the playmaking wings you need to succeed. Instead of trying to turn Sochan into one, they wasted time turning him into a PG.
The video describes the modern NBA evolution from five positions to three positions: PG, wing, and C.
A big part of the Spurs problem they've disproportionately drafted SGs and PFs as those positions have been phased out of the league. Go back through their drafts since the Kawhi trade in 2011 which coincides with the elimination of the PF as pointed out in the video. The only players they've drafted who were a PG, wing, or C were Kyle Anderson, Dejounte Murray, Tre Jones, Sidy Cissoko, and Victor Wembanyama. They've played Derrick White at PG and Keldon Johnson at SF, but they're fundamentally SGs. Much of this was due to positionally need. They had Parker at PG, Kawhi at SF, and Duncan functionally at C then they had Murray at PG, DeRozan at SF, and Poeltl at C so they wanted to fill the gaps while those positions were being phased out of the league.
That video ends by explaining why there's little trade market for LaVine which may also explain why the Bulls seem to be doing fine without him. It also ponders what happens to the next generation of elite SGs. For example, does Ant transition to PG like Booker has (8.2 apg this season)?
What does this mean for the Spurs? Let's look at the main rotation at the 1-4. Like I said last week or so, I understand the desire for "positionless" basketball, but the traditional position you absolutely need is PG. They're already trying Branham at PG. Vassell could be a small wing but a wing needs to guard the 1-4. Keldon is also an undersized wing, but plays bigger than Vassell. Sochan could be a big wing but still needs a lot of work on his game. None of them are good enough that they could or should learn how to play PG. Tre Jones is a PG so he should start this year and let the others learn how to be modern wings.
They've finally put Wemby at C where he belongs. Behind him, Collins is a good C who works well on his own and in a big lineup with Wemby. Barlow should be a good bench C as well. I'd keep those three and either Bassey or Mamu.
So looking at the bench, Cedi is a good bench wing. McDermott is a SG. Neither are part of the future. Champagnie seems more like a big SG than a wing. 3/4 of his shot attempts are from 3. He doesn't have a diverse game and he's not a good wing defender. Cissoko looks like a future bench wing. He's a good wing ballhandler. He has the playmaking skills to set up Wemby. He's certainly part of the future.
Ideally, the Spurs should make the moves I discussed this week and include Vassell and Keldon as part of those deals. They should invest in Branham and Sochan partly because they're still on rookie deals and partly because I still think Sochan could play well with Wemby and Branham could be a reliable bench player on a good team.
Whether or not they trade Vassell and Keldon, they should send Champagnie to Austin and bring up Cissoko and Barlow. If they keep this pick, they should draft the best PG or wing available.