2023 Ultimate Wish List Ranking for San Antonio Spurs Fans

2. The Spurs sign Deandre Ayton (63 points)

My ranking: 2nd
Fan ranking: 2nd

Just about everyone surveyed was in agreement about this one, as all but one staff member had the Spurs signing Deandre Ayton in their top four options. In fact, five people in our group of eight had this 1st or 2nd.

As is the case with LaVine, it's easy to see why the staff and fans surveyed would all love to see Ayton in a Spurs uniform next season. He's 6-11 with a jumper, punishes guys on the glass, and does a little bit of everything San Antonio has been missing for the past few years.

On top of that all, he's yet to turn 24 and has already had four consecutive seasons of averaging a double-double and is fresh off an NBA Finals appearance. Inserting him as the centerpiece of a core that includes Dejounte, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell would instantly make the Spurs a playoff team and probably even a fringe contender.

Odds of happening: Right now, I can't really envision a scenario in which Ayton wants out of Phoenix. They just made the NBA Finals, have a strong roster consisting of both young and veteran talent, and are poised to be contenders for as long as Chris Paul can sustain his level of play.

With that said, Chris Paul is about to turn 37, and you know what they all say about Father Time. The Suns made a mistake in not extending Deandre before, and they'll learn from that this time around and make it right with their talented center. But keep an eye on their results in the playoffs plus the ongoing investigation into owner Robert Sarver for at least a glimmer of hope.

1. The Spurs win the #1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft (79 points)

My ranking: 1st
Fan ranking: 1st

Yet another unanimous selection across the board, most fans are in agreement that the Spurs winning the 2022 NBA Draft would be the biggest game-changer of all this summer.

San Antonio would have their pick of the litter if that happened, and they could go with any number of prospects that would perfectly suit them, including Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, and Jabari Smith. You can check out our draft page for in-depth coverage of all of those prospects and more, but the 2022 Draft class is pretty straightforward: there's a wealth of tall talent at the top followed by a bit of a dropoff.

A whopping 16 of 20 fans surveyed had the Spurs winning the lottery as the most desirable outcome this summer while 7 of 8 in our panel did the same. Although our panel and fans both had the same top three options, this choice was easily the top one across the board.

Air Alamo points given:

1. Winning the draft lottery: 79 (18% of all points)
2. Signing Deandre Ayton: 63 (14.3%)
3. Signing Zach LaVine: 59 (13.4%)

Fan points given:

1. Winning the draft lottery: 260 (17.5%)
2. Signing Deandre Ayton: 208 (14%)
3. Signing Zach LaVine: 196 (13.2%)

Odds of happening: I can finally give a mathematical answer on one of these! When the lottery takes place on May 17th, the Spurs will have a 4.5% chance of snagging the top spot.

What this survey says about the Spurs' fanbase

Although some might find most of these options pointless to even discuss given their improbability, it's clear from the results that many fans are on the same page about a lot of things. The Spurs need to upgrade their frontcourt, and that was evident in how these results turned out.

If everyone is seeing it, we have to assume the office sees it too, and it should be an eventful, fun summer in San Antonio.