The San Antonio Spurs are still seemingly locks to select guard Dylan Harper in the 2025 NBA Draft, even despite recent rumblings. That has led to questions about how he'd fit on their roster.
With two other guards in De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle already on the Spurs, Harper doesn't fit the team as currently constructed. However, that could soon change.
Rumors that the Spurs are trading Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and the 14th pick for Kevin Durant could help solve the potential issues regarding Harper. After all, having Vassell eat up 30 minutes of perimeter play would make it much harder for Harper to find minutes, but that could present the Spurs with an opportunity.
Bringing Dylan Harper off the bench would solve the Spurs' problems
If the Spurs made the aforementioned trade for Durant, the team's starting lineup probably wouldn't include Harper. Even with Vassell potentially gone. Coach Mitch Johnson opted against starting Castle early on as a rookie, and he wouldn't have started nearly as much as he did had it not been for injuries.
That could ultimately be a good thing since it would mean that he wouldn't be shoehorning Harper into a lineup that he probably wouldn't fit early on in his career. Instead, Johnson could start Julian Champagnie at small forward, a role he is more than comfortable with after having previously started 89 games for the team.
Here's why that's a good thing for Harper. With no Vassell and possibly no Chris Paul, Harper could play both backup point guard and shooting guard and still play around 27 minutes per game, with Blake Wesley getting spot minutes as a fourth guard.
The Spurs could a perfect rotation with Harper as a Sixth man
Meanwhile, Champagnie and Keldon Johnson could split minutes at small forward. Jeremy Sochan would be the backup power forward behind Durant and also play some small-ball center. Meanwhile, the team could bring in a backup center by using the mid-level exception.
Harper might not have any NBA experience, but by having him back up both Fox and Castle, it would mean that he'd play alongside one of them at all times. That would give the Spurs at least two playmakers and keep Harper from being overwhelmed until he's able to find his footing in the NBA.
All told, the Spurs should be able to best utilize Harper next season, even if he doesn't fit their current roster. Assuming that they trade for Durant, Harper could play big minutes with the second unit and maximize his impact playing against opposing bench players.