Spurs fans can kiss first-round pick goodbye as the Hornets enter full tank mode

Hope isn't lost, but it might as well be.

Brooklyn Nets v Charlotte Hornets
Brooklyn Nets v Charlotte Hornets | Jacob Kupferman/GettyImages

The Victor Wembanyama era is off to a captivating start. The reigning Rookie of the Year has the San Antonio Spurs just 2.5 games off the pace for a Play-In Tournament appearance in just his second season, which has many pondering if the five-time NBA champions should prioritize a win-now move.

While most have rationally prioritized winning above all else, one can't help but keep an eye on a potential first-round draft pick that could be sent their way.

San Antonio has incoming 2025 first-round draft picks from the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls respectively. The Atlanta pick is guaranteed to be sent the Spurs' way, but the Charlotte and Chicago selections remain up in the air.

Unfortunately, the Hornets' recent displays have all but confirmed that the Spurs will be down one incoming first-round selection in 2025.

The first-round draft pick that San Antonio received from Charlotte is lottery-protected. A 12-32 record implies that the fate of the selection was sealed weeks ago, but the Hornets remain just 6.0 games back of the final spot in the Play-In Tournament.

Unfortunately, with an injury sustained by La'Melo Ball and the decision to trade Nick Richards, Charlotte has confirmed that it's lottery-bound in 2025.

Hornets' lottery-protected pick unlikely to go to Spurs in 2025

Despite their record, the Hornets offered reason for optimism to the Spurs in recent weeks. They won four out of five games between Jan. 7 and Jan. 20, with Ball and a rejuvenated Mark Williams playing starring roles in Charlotte's success.

With such a slim margin between the Hornets and the Play-In Tournament, that stretch of success implied that the Spurs' pipe dream of acquiring Charlotte's 2025 first-rounder could be realistic.

Unfortunately, Ball has now been ruled out for at least one week with an ankle injury. In the Hornets' first game since he went down, the Spurs received confirmation of their greatest fear coming to fruition.

Charlotte went into a clash with the lowly Brooklyn Nets without Ball and ultimately lost 104-83 in one of the most uninspiring displays of the season.

Crucial context is that Williams was absent, as well, which accounts for the Hornets' offensive disappearance. In saying that, it was a harrowing reminder of how heavily the Spurs' potential first-round selection is relying on two players staying healthy and performing at the top of their game.

Thankfully, not all is lost for the Spurs, as they will instead receive 2026 and 2027 second-round selections from Charlotte.

The optimistic take is that both of those selections could be at the very beginning of the second round. San Antonio is also one of the best franchises in the NBA at finding high-level talent during the later stages of the draft.

One simply can't release a sigh of disappointment over the missed opportunity to acquire what could've been as early as the 15th pick in a deep 2025 NBA Draft.

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