Spurs can solve every weakness if they shock Dylan Harper fans on draft night

In the ever-evolving scenarios for the San Antonio Spurs, the one that's been explored the least is trading down in the draft while keeping the 14th pick. Say the Silver and Black decide not to trade for anyone right now, and believe that staying on the path of a youth movement is the way to go.

Spurs can hit a home run by trading out of the Dylan Harper pick

You may be asking yourself, "If they're going with young guys, why trade the number two pick and skip over Dylan Harper?" Well, the answer is simple: the Spurs have a bunch of needs, and if they can turn two lottery picks into two lottery picks and an additional mid-first-rounder, it's more valuable this draft than any other summer and if they hit on all three picks, they're future success might as well be carved in stone.

The question is, who would be the team to trade back between Brooklyn and Washington to make this idea worth it? Let's go with Washington. They trade the sixth and 18th picks for the number two overall selection.

Could other things be included in the deal? Sure, but that's not the focus, and I'm not pretending to be a GM today. Let them figure that stuff out. I want to talk about who SA should pick after this hypothetical deal.

Spurs draft Kon Knueppel with the fifth pick in the draft

The Spurs desperately need shooting, and Knueppel will be the best shooter in this draft. He's a dog on offense, can create out of the pick-and-roll, and score through contact. He's a good passer with plenty of experience feeding his guys and throwing lobs. He's not the fastest laterally, but he's a smart defender, and he'll be where he needs to be. a

His versatility and reliability on offense are so elite, it warrants him being a high lottery selection in a deep draft. If his defense were so bad that people expected him to be a traffic cone, he'd drop a few spots. He'll be manageable on that end. Knueppel is a homerun pick for the Silver and Black at five.

Thomas Sorber is taken with Spurs' 14th draft pick

San Antonio needs size almost as much as they need shooting. Zach Collins is gone, and he couldn't leave fast enough when you ask the majority of Spurs fans. However, the problem was not solved by subtraction. Charles Bassey couldn't stay healthy, and Sandro Mamukelashvili is more of a wing in a bigger body than a big man who can be relied on to bang with other bigs.

Sorber has great size, freakishly long arms, and a great motor. He has a solid shooting form that will translate to the NBA. With more work, he'll become a reliable jump shooter. He's also a menace on defense, so Wembanyama would be able to go to the bench without everything falling apart on that side of the floor.

San Antonio doubles down on wings with Carter Bryant with the 18th pick

The Spurs need more dynamic wing play, and Bryant can provide it. He's a 6'8" forward with a 6'11" wingspan, who shot 37% from three. If San Antonio can pull the full potential out of Carter, he could be the steal of the draft at 18. He'd be higher if his motor were more reliable. When you watch his highlight tape, you see a special talent with no ceiling. His numbers don't match that visual, though.

It's hard to motivate a guy who isn't naturally inclined to give full effort 100% of the time into doing so, but if SA can bring him in at 18, you're mitigating the risk. We know the organization will do everything humanly possible to put him in a position to succeed. If he does, he'll be a force for the Silver and Black, bringing high energy, elite athleticism, and shotmaking.

Will this happen? Probably not. If it were to happen, I think most of Spurs Nation would walk away satisfied. It may take another year or two to be ready to challenge for a title, but once the window opens, it'd remain ajar for quite some time.