Proven Spurs draft strategy nobody's talking about could be Spurs' best bet

The Spurs could turn to a tried-and-true strategy to land an NBA Draft steal.
ByCal Durrett|
Stephon Castle, Brian Wright
Stephon Castle, Brian Wright | Ronald Cortes/GettyImages

For San Antonio Spurs fans, the upcoming NBA Draft might as well be the NBA Finals, given the importance it holds to the team's future. The Spurs already know that they will be picking second, 14th, and 38th.

While they probably won't trade the second pick, we can dream about San Antonio trading up to land the first pick. Of course, that seems highly unlikely unless Mavericks GM Niko Harrison covets Dylan Harper.

In that event, the Spurs could package the second pick, the 14th pick, and Atlanta's 2027 unprotected first to try and trade up one spot. Barring that, however, the Spurs may have to settle for something a little less drastic. In that case, there may be a few trade options that could tempt them.

Will the San Antonio Spurs make a draft-night trade?

One draft night option could be to trade the 14th pick and Malaki Branham to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a 2030 pick swap, a 2031 top-1 protected first, and Zeke Nnaji. That deal would be almost identical to the move the Spurs made last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In that deal, they acquired a 2030 pick swap and a 2031 top-1 protected pick for the rights to the eighth selection.

Trading Rob Dillingham for those assets later helped them acquire De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings. They did so by shipping out the Wolves' 2031 first while still maintaining their pick swap rights. The same thing could happen with the Spurs' 14th pick in this year's draft. Trading the 14th pick for those assets would be a smart move, all things considered.

After all, San Antonio would have less need for whoever they pick 14th in this year's draft after landing the second overall pick. In that case, San Antonio should look toward the future by bolstering their draft stockpile, which has actually decreased due to the Fox trade.

San Antonio doesn't have nearly as many first-round picks as they once did. By trading a pick in this year's draft, they could set themselves up well for the future. The Spurs could be both very good and very expensive in five years, so they could use all the assets they can get to ensure flexibility.

By making the aforementioned deal, they would have swap rights with the Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks in five years. With Nikola Jokic already 30, he'd be in his mid-thirties by then, and the Nuggets already appear to be past their peak.

Adding a possible lottery pick could help extend their title window for a few more seasons. However, that 2031 first could also be juicy to the Spurs, possibly giving them a lottery pick to pair with Wembanyama when he is 27, Castle when he's 26, and Harper when he's 25.

The Spurs have other draft-night trade options

If the Spurs don't want to wait that long for return value, then the Brooklyn Nets could be another draft-night trade partner. The Nets have four first-round picks in this year's draft, and there's no chance they keep all of those picks. That increases the chances of a two-for-one trade.

The Spurs could offer up the 14th pick for the 19th and 26th selections. San Antonio rostering three rookies might seem far-fetched, but they will probably cut ties with Malaki Branham and possibly Blake Wesley, plus Chris Paul and Bismack Biyombo are unlikely to return.

That means that they wouldn't be at risk of reaching the 15-man roster limit. In this scenario, they could select Cedric Coward or Liam McNeely at 19 and Joan Beringer or Maxime Raynaud at 26. That would give them a wing that can knock down threes and a big man who can develop into a long-term backup for Wembanyama.

This scenario would probably make the most sense if they feel that a player they like might be a reach at 14 and likely to be available at 19. Plus, they'd get another first for their troubles.

Overall, the Spurs may make a draft-night trade on June 25th. Given their recent track record of winning trades, that could be great news for Spurs fans.