NBA lottery could either rescue or ruin the Spurs’ offseason vision

May 12th could be a significant day for the San Antonio Spurs. That's when the Spurs found out where they will be picking in the 2025 NBA draft. Currently, the Spurs project their selections to be 8th and 14th, with a 26.2% chance of making it into the top four. That would be huge were it to happen for several reasons. 

The first would be that it would dramatically improve their chances of adding a star in the 2025 draft. After all, this is largely seen as a four-player draft with Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and VJ Edgecombe each having star potential.

Adding any of those four players would dramatically increase the Spurs' ceiling. It would also allow them to make a stronger offer to the Milwaukee Bucks for star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Spurs could soon add a other star

If the Spurs were to land a top-four pick in this year's draft, assuming not the first pick, in which they would obviously take Flagg, they could dangle that in a deal for Giannis. The Bucks getting a top young prospect in a package deal for Giannis would be a huge get for them and would possibly allow the Spurs to keep Stephon Castle out of the deal. 

A hypothetical offer may include Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, the second, third, or fourth overall pick in this year's draft, and the Atlanta Hawks' 2027 first-round pick. That could be enough for the Bucks to ship Giannis to San Antonio. 

That would cost the Spurs some key assets. However, retaining Castle and several of their picks would be a great outcome. It would help them build around Giannis, Victor Wembanyama, and De'Aaron Fox, allowing them to have their cake and eat it too. 

After all, they could offset some of Giannis' massive salary by trading Vassell and Johnson, who make at least a combined $45 million over the next two seasons. Wembanyama is also on his rookie-scale contract for two more years, while Castle has three years left on his. That would make it much easier for the Spurs to keep their hypothetical core four together and build a true contender.

With the NBA draft lottery coming up on May 12th, Spurs fans will soon learn where the team will be drafting. If everything goes well, they could end up with a top-four pick, and that could help facilitate a blockbuster trade this summer to land Giannis.