2023 Ultimate Wish List Ranking for San Antonio Spurs Fans

8. The Spurs trade for Donovan Mitchell (32 points)

My ranking: 8th
Fan ranking: 6th

While trading for Donovan Mitchell was the 6th-most popular option among the fans, he fell to 8th in our rankings. Given how frequently the Jazz have collapsed in the playoffs and how they might be headed for yet another one, it might finally be time to blow things up this summer in Utah.

Still, as with the other two trade options discussed, the worry is just how much that would cost the Spurs. I fall in that camp personally, but others on the staff like Dylan (7), Cal (6), and Jonah (5), gave greater value to this option.

"The Jazz wouldn’t take anything short of a package centered around Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Josh Primo or this season’s lottery pick," said Jonah. "It would be hard to see them leave, but the last teams that had a backcourt with multiple All-Stars have been the Suns and Warriors, so given that precedent, it would be well worth it."

Odds of happening: A Jazz 1st round collapse could mean Mitchell is more likely to leave, but San Antonio just doesn't make these kinds of moves.

7. Quin Snyder becomes the Spurs' head coach (34 points)

My ranking: 7th
Fan ranking: 9th

One thing was clear from the comments to my poll on Twitter: most fans are not ready for Coach Popovich to be gone quite yet. Only the idea of trading for Lillard had a worse showing than Quin Snyder becoming the head coach next season among them. Meanwhile, this option finished 7th among the staff.

I've recapped some reports from NBA insider Marc Stein about Quin Snyder potentially succeeding Coach Popovich in the past, and I'm admittedly a bit torn about this one. Of course, I want Coach Popovich to go out after at least having coached one more season above .500. At the same time, we don't know if and when one of his more talented proteges in Quin Snyder might be available.

"In an ideal world, Pop would come back for one (or two) more seasons," said Kubicek. "Monty Williams and Erik Spoelstra are right next to Pop for the title of “best coach in the league,” but Snyder is the leader of tier two. Adding him would add some stability to the team, but I’m not ready to see Pop leave quite yet."

Odds of happening: Stein has reported multiple times about Snyder's uncertain future, so there might be something there. I wouldn't bet on this unfolding this summer, but if Utah can't get past the Dallas Mavericks, don't completely discredit this as an option. Maybe he'll even jump aboard for one season as an assistant before getting the keys from Pop for good next year? One can dream.