In an interview with DJ Siddiqi of RG.org, Spurs guard Dylan Harper said he doesn’t have any specific goals in mind as he prepares for his second NBA season. San Antonio advanced to the NBA Finals in 2025/26, eventually falling to New York in five games.

“Nah, man. I feel like the biggest thing for me in every year is really just getting better every day, learning from the people around me and learning from my own experiences and just trying not to make the same mistakes over and over again,” Harper said. “But for me, it’s not really just anything personal.

“I feel like we all have that one team goal that we felt like that we should have had last year. I feel like that’s really the only thing on that. That’s the only thing that’s on everyone’s mind.”

Harper, the second overall pick of last year’s draft, came off the bench during his rookie campaign and told Siddiqi he wouldn’t mind doing so again in 2026/27.

“No, I feel like regardless, I’m in the NBA,” Harper said. “There’s only like 450 people in the NBA, and I get a chance to go on the court and play with the best of the best. I feel like those kinds of things and those logistics at the end of the day, in the big scheme of things, it’s not going to affect me and how I approach every day.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

• Who are the biggest winners and losers of the Rockets‘ offseason so far? William Guillory of The Athletic analyzes that question, listing Alperen Sengun as one of the primary winners because he’ll have two veteran guards — Fred VanVleet and free agent addition Marcus Smart — who can help him run the offense. Sengun should also have less burden up front with Steven Adams expected to be healthy again following ankle surgery, Guillory notes. As for losers, Guillory points to VanVleet due to his uncertain long-term fit on the team (he picked up his $25MM player option for 2026/27 and will be a free agent next year) and Reed Sheppard, whose role could be reduced with VanVleet and Smart in the backcourt mix.
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s buyout with the Grizzlies appears to be mutually beneficial for both the veteran swingman and the team, argues Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscription required). As Cole explains, Caldwell-Pope is 33 years old and focused on contending for championships, and Philadelphia certainly seems to fit that bill better than a young Memphis team. Removing Caldwell-Pope from the equation also helps ease the Grizzlies’ roster crunch and he may not have received much playing time anyway with several players vying for minutes at shooting guard and small forward, Cole adds.
• In case you missed it, we relayed several Mavericks Notes on Thursday morning.