Brutal Hawks injury brings NBA closer to Spurs doomsday scenario

Despite some recent struggles of their own, the San Antonio Spurs are likely keeping a close eye on the recent injury Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young suffered. Young sprained his MCL, which could keep him out for at least a month and up to two months. That would mean that he could miss up to 30 games, roughly one-quarter of the season.

Obviously, cheering for a player to get injured isn't great, but cheering for the Hawks to go into free fall without Young is fair game. San Antonio, of course, owns swap rights with the Hawks.

That means that San Antonio could technically make the playoffs and end up with a lottery pick. If the Hawks flounder without Young, then it could take them out of the playoff race, which is hard to do even in the Eastern Conference.

While the Hawks have no incentive to tank, they find themselves in an unusual situation. They could have a top-five pick in this year's draft-- just not their own. They acquired the New Orleans Pelicans' unprotected first-round pick on draft night and that pick could be better than their own.

The San Antonio Spurs should be keeping a close eye on the Hawks

Given how awful the Pelicans currently are, the Hawks could end up with a high lottery pick while also owing their own selection to the Spurs. They should get Young back by the end of the year, but it's anyone's guess where Atlanta might be in the standings by then.

If they can play at a .500 level, then they should be in the thick of the play-in race in the East. But if they fall flat without Young, then it could give the Spurs another lottery pick. The rest of the NBA would freak out if the Spurs somehow ended up with a top-five pick for the fourth-straight year.

There is also Young's contract situation, with him set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. If he returns and the Hawks are struggling, they may opt to trade him rather than risk him leaving for nothing. That is a very real possibility, especially if the Hawks expect to have a high lottery pick anyway.

The Spurs could be sitting on a gold mine thanks to the Hawks

San Antonio should hope so since it would benefit them, not only this year but also next season when they will have an unprotected first-round pick via the Hawks. The Spurs are clearly counting on those picks, since they traded their own 2027 selection to the Sacramento Kings in the De'Aaron Fox deal.

If Young is traded or leaves for nothing in free agency, then that pick will look extra juicy. Imagine the Spurs getting a total of three lottery picks as a result of the Dejounte Murray trade. That could potentially happen with the next few weeks being crucial to both the Spurs and Hawks' future.