Spurs quietly made huge draft mistake - a decision getting worse by the day

The San Antonio Spurs traded the pick that became Rob Dillingham in the 2024 NBA Draft, but they should have kept it and selected Matas Buzelis, who went three picks after Dillingham and is currently breaking out into a potential star for the Chicago Bulls. Had they taken him, he could have been the perfect power forward to play next to Victor Wembanyama at the five.

That four spot is the biggest weakness in a very strong Spurs lineup (even though Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie have both been solid). Throwing Buzelis into the mix would have given the Spurs an even better young core to lead them into the future.

Buzelis could have been the final puzzle piece.

Again, Barnes and Champagnie have been good this year. They’ve both played a ton of minutes, and the Spurs have been a very competitive team in the Western Conference, especially when Wembanyama has been healthy.

However, if the Spurs are looking to capitalize on the extended era that will be Wembanyama’s time in San Antonio, finding a long-term solution at the four would be ideal. That could have been Buzelis.

So far this season, he has been enjoying a nice leap with Chicago. As a sophomore, he’s helped them remain in the Play-In picture (despite a recent dip after a red-hot start to the Bulls’ season).

He has appeared in 20 games for the Bulls, starting all of them and playing 28.3 minutes per contest. That’s the fifth-most minutes of any player in Chicago this year.

Buzelis is averaging 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the floor and 34.4% from beyond the arc on 4.7 three-point attempts per game.

Adding Buzelis’ shooting, length, and offensive creation abilities at the power forward position would have given the Spurs an even more dynamic offense next to Wembanyama.

Right now, they could potentially have Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Buzelis, and Wembanyama as their future core, and that’s without even mentioning All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox.

That would easily be one of the best young cores in the NBA, and the Spurs already have one of the best young cores in the NBA. Buzelis could have just taken them to the next level while also filling a long-term need for them.

San Antonio got two (potentially valuable) future first-round picks back from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the trade they made, but adding Buzelis, who looks like a potential star, could have been even better.