3 Ways the Spurs can trade for another first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA Draft is just two months away, and San Antonio Spurs fans are already devouring every mock draft, trying to get an idea of which prospects their favorite team may take with their three selections. It's impossible to say who that will be this early in the process, especially with the Spurs not knowing where they will land in the draft order. What we do know, however, is San Antonio only has one first-round pick. 

That certainly isn't the end of the world since they will likely land inside the top five, hopefully number one, but it's not a done deal. They have 13 first-round picks in their treasure chest over the next seven years, though they will only have one in the 2023 NBA Draft.

That leads to the obvious question of whether they should acquire another pick. With so many assets at their disposal, San Antonio has several routes to deal for another first-rounder. So let's look at three ways the Spurs can trade for an extra first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The decision to acquire a second first-rounder largely depends on where the Spurs land in the lottery. If the Spurs select first overall, they will have their center of the future, making current starter Zach Collins expendable. Collins played well this season, especially after San Antonio moved Jakob Poeltl, averaging 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds as a starter following the trade deadline.

Considering Collins will only make $7.7M next season, he could be a prime trade candidate for a team needing a cheap starter or an above-average backup big man. Would a club trade a first for Collins? Maybe, but that would be more likely if the Spurs were willing to take back bad or long-term contracts in return. With significant cap space and few players to spend it on in free agency, they can afford to do that. One such option could be trading Collins to the Sacramento Kings for Richaun Holmes and the 24th pick in this year's draft.

Holmes has two years and $24.9M remaining on his contract but isn't part of the Kings' regular rotation. Swapping him for an upgrade at backup center while saving them $17.2M could be worth trading a late first, especially now that Sacramento has tasted the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Spurs could waive or trade Holmes while picking up an extra first-rounder in this year's draft.

An underrated perk of being one of the worst teams in the NBA is that, in addition to getting an early lottery selection, the Spurs will also have a high second-round pick. San Antonio will have the 32nd. That pick alone holds value since it is practically a first, and the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) could make it more useful.

The same goes for the 44th pick San Antonio acquired from Toronto. One potential trade partner could be the Memphis Grizzlies. They have the 25th pick, but trading back a few spots could allow them to take advantage of a few new CBA rules. Starting next season, teams over the salary cap won't need to use an exception to sign second-round picks to three or four-year deals. They can also have three players on two-way contracts.

As a result, a team like Memphis could move back into the second round, select a player with the 31st pick, sign them using the new exception, and then use the 44th pick to draft and sign a prospect to a two-way deal. The Spurs already have several young players and limited roster spots and minutes to develop them, so consolidating their two seconds into one first is a savvy move.

While the Spurs could always trade a player or package two second-round picks, the easiest way to acquire an extra first might be moving one of their future selections. Perhaps a team with two first-round picks in this draft would be willing to part ways with one of them for a potentially better pick down the road. With four first-rounders in 2025, the Spurs might not have room for all of them, and there may be a few teams that would be interested, including Houston, Orlando, Portland, Charlotte, and Indiana. The latter stands out the most.

The Pacers have three picks, and while they could consolidate them to move up in this year's draft, they could trade with the Spurs to effectively defer one of their selections until next season. In which case, the Spurs could acquire the 29th pick from Indiana. That would give San Antonio four selections in 2023, including two in the first round.

There are several ways for the Spurs to acquire an extra first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. However, fans must wait and see how the NBA Draft Lottery shakes out before any deals are on the table.