Forbes leaves, agrees to two-year deal with Bucks
The Bryn Forbes era in San Antonio is over.
The formerly undrafted shooting guard who went on to become an unexpected fixture in the Spurs' rotation is headed to Milwaukee.
Forbes on Sunday agreed to a two-year deal to join the Bucks, after spending his first four NBA seasons with the Spurs.
His departure from San Antonio was not unexpected. Since the NBA rebooted its season in Orlando, Fla., in August, the Spurs had signaled their intent to move forward with a younger, more athletic starting backcourt that did not include Forbes.
The 27-year-old started 143 games in his final two Spurs seasons, second-most on the team during that span behind DeMar DeRozan (145).
Forbes' exit closes the book on a feel-good story that saw him rise from relative obscurity to become a productive NBA player.
He signed with the Spurs as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2016 and eventually worked his way into the lineup.
Only two players on last season's roster — LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills — have been with the team longer.
Forbes has made 40 percent of his 3-point shots during his career and averaged better than 11 points per game in each of the past two seasons.
He slumped from the 3-point line last season — at least compared to his own lofty standards — to convert 38.8 percent. That was third on the Spurs among players who attempted at least 100 shots from long distance.
The 6-foot-2 Forbes was one of only two players on the roster to make at least 100 3-pointers last
season. His 148 made shots from beyond the arc ranked second behind Mills’ 154.
The writing was on the wall for Forbes as the team pivoted to the restart games in Orlando. The Spurs emerged from the five-month coronavirus shutdown determined to move Forbes to the bench in order to start Derrick White and Lonnie Walker IV alongside Dejounte Murray in the backcourt.
That projected lineup move ended up being a moot point. Forbes did not play in any of the eight games in Orlando after suffering a quadriceps injury.
For Forbes, the closing of a door in San Antonio resulted in the opening of another one in Milwaukee.
With the Bucks, Forbes will join the bench unit of a team that fancies itself an NBA championship contender behind back-toback league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Team to hang on to Weatherspoon
In other backcourt news Sunday, the Spurs came to terms with second-year point guard Quinndary Weatherspoon on a second two-way contract.
Weatherspoon, 24, was the team’s second-round pick in 2019. He spent the bulk of his rookie season in the G League with the Austin Spurs, appearing in 11 games at the NBA level.