Spurs channel Wembanyama with checkmate of Thunder's draft ploy

The San Antonio Spurs countered the rival Oklahoma City Thunder decision to draft Aday Mara by taking two big men in the first round. OKC was clearly trying to slyly find someone to match up against Victor Wembanyama, so the Spurs got even bigger. They boldly took Jayden Quaintance at 20 and followed it by trading up for Tarris Reed Jr. at 26th overall. San Antonio tripled down on defense and gave themselves a two-big-man look that will force Chet Holmgren to match up against Wemby.

Quaintance may be the best defensive big man in this draft class, but he has injury questions. That was a boom or bust pick, so the Spurs got another big man. Reed is a strong rebounder with some passing chops. He could grow into a nice complement to Wemby or give San Antonio a different wrinkle.

The Thunder had a clever plan to ensure they had an answer for whatever Wembanyama threw at them long-term. Mara is 7’4 and is the long-term replacement for Isaiah Hartenstein. OKC’s roster will only get more expensive, and the Thunder need cheap big men. The Spurs checkmated their rival by adding not one but two potential difference-makers in the middle.

Spurs checkmated Thunder’s draft ploy by channeling Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio needed someone to back up Wemby capable of sticking in the playoffs. Luke Kornet was not the answer. The Spurs stuck with him, but it was disastrous nearly every time he took the floor in the later rounds of the playoffs. San Antonio was outscored by 60 points in his 114 minutes in the conference finals and NBA Finals. They clearly needed an upgrade.

Quaintance may be the answer. He has immense upside and could be an All-Defensive big man, but injury questions forced him to slip to pick 20. The Spurs traded back up to get a more certain option in Reed.

San Antonio could play some double big man looks or use the rookies strictly as backups behind Wemby. They needed more size and frontcourt help.

Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox will play the majority of the backcourt minutes. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie are locking things down on the wing, with Carter Bryant eager to take on a larger role in year two. The obvious need was in the frontcourt, so the Spurs addressed it.

The Thunder thought they had it all figured out until the Spurs countered. Mara is a talented big man with immense upside, but Quaintance or Reed could be the best big man in this class if everything breaks right. San Antonio took two bites at the apple and has an even better shot at landing a long-term difference-maker.

The arms race between the Spurs and Thunder is just beginning. San Antonio knocking off the defending champs in the conference finals figures to be the first of several postseason battles. They have the two best young cores in the NBA and will be fighting over everything. OKC threw the first punch in the draft, but the Spurs quickly countered it with two mighty blows.

Victor Wembanyama plans to dominate the Thunder moving forward, and the San Antonio Spurs followed suit in the 2026 NBA Draft. They took two big men, including trading up for Tarris Reed, to make sure they had the size to battle the Thunder.

Holmgren, Hartenstein, and Mara are a strong trio, but none of them are Wemby. Expect the Spurs rookies to get better just by learning from the Alien. San Antonio keeps widening the gap over the Thunder, and things are just getting started.

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