Speculation includes taking the best point guard prospect or trading the pick for the Greek Freak. The Spurs definitely have quite the decision to make.
SAN ANTONIO — After landing back-to-back Rookies of the Year, the Spurs are once again in prime position to add a future star — this time holding the No. 2 and No. 14 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
While missing out on the No. 1 overall pick — which went to their in-state rival Dallas Mavericks — the Spurs were also winners of the draft, moving up from the No. 8 pick to the No. 2 pick.
This presumably shakes up the Spurs’ initial plans, as having this pick opens up a lot of options for the Silver & Black.
Talking about changing plans, the Mavericks are more than likely selecting Duke forward Cooper Flagg to join perennial all-stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
The Mavs’ future is also in question, as they could start a full-on rebuild with their new 18-year-old star or they could go all in trying to maximize Davis and Flagg together, with the latter on a rookie scale deal.
This article isn’t about the Mavericks though. We’ll leave that to WFAA, our sister station in Dallas.
Let’s play make-believe and try to lay out all the possible directions the Spurs could go with this newly-found pick.
Scenario 1: The Spurs pick their guy
Let’s assume the Mavs take Flagg; the Spurs now have a plethora of options to take at 2.
The consensus No. 2 prospect in this draft is Rutgers PG Dylan Harper. The 6’6″ freshman put up averages of 19.4 points, 4.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds per game in his lone season in Piscataway, New Jersey. He clearly has a bright future as a scoring point guard with Cade Cunningham-like size.
The problem? The Spurs already acquired their presumed PG of the future in De’Aaron Fox, 27, in a deal at the trade deadline last season. They also have combo guard Stephon Castle, who also showed he has star potential by winning Rookie of the Year. Their backcourt of the future was already set before the Draft Lottery took place. But could it change?
If they add Harper, they’ll add a great young prospect albeit to an already stacked guard rotation. The fit might not be the best for what the Spurs have right now. Having Fox, Castle AND Harper may crowd things a bit.
Do they take Harper and trade Castle? It’s possible they like the younger option over their recent Rookie of the Year winner. That scenario comes down to their preference of who they like more: Castle or Harper.
So what if they pass on Harper? They could pick his college teammate: guard/forward Ace Bailey, who averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in his one season at Rutgers.
The 6’10” 18-year-old may address a possible need the Spurs have at the forward position. At the moment their forward rotation sees Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Sochan. They are all good players in their own right, but the possible upside of Bailey could leapfrog him into the starting rotation if developed correctly. He can also play SG if they want, giving them a Tracy McGrady-sized guard.
Another option is SG V.J. Edgecombe from Baylor. He could possibly play SG or SF, which could open things up for the Spurs if they want more wing options. It would also keep Edgecombe in state.
The question becomes is Bailey or Edgecombe worth a second overall pick when Harper is right there? Could they trade down to a PG-needy team and get the guy they wanted in the first place?
Scenario 2: The Spurs trade down
As the draft stands right now, the Philadelphia 76ers have the No. 3 overall pick, the Charlotte Hornets have No. 4, the Utah Jazz have No. 5 and the Washington Wizards have No. 6.
The Hornets, Jazz and Wizards — all with 14% odds of landing pick No. 1 — all fell out of the top 3 after having the three worst records in the league this year, possibly showing that tanking isn’t the best move in today’s NBA, but that’s for another article.
We can skip the Sixers here; they’re in a similar boat to the Spurs as they already have guards Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. McCain was notably a top Rookie of the Year candidate early in the season before suffering a season-ending injury, opening things up for Castle’s ROTY run. They could also trade this pick as they should try to win as much as possible with 2023 MVP Joel Embiid on the roster.
The Hornets are interesting because while they have PG LaMelo Ball, his injury history hasn’t exactly inspired confidence amongst Charlotte Hornets fans, playing 51, 75, 36, 22 and 47 games in his five years in the league.
Trading Ball to another team and starting over with Harper could be an angle Charlotte takes. I’m sure they could trade No. 4 along with a future first for No. 2, meaning the Spurs could take whoever’s left from Bailey, Edgecombe or even Texas guard Tre Johnson.
The Jazz slated at 5 is another interesting team as they have young guards Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier, both showing promise at the PG position throughout last year. Collier in particular showed growth as a passer, leading all rookies in assists per game with 6.3.
Them trading for 2 seems unlikely given their guard room at the moment, but Harper’s potential could make that trade up intriguing. (We’ll get back to them later)
The Wizards at 6 also have a promising young guard in Bub Carrington, who showed great flashes in his rookie season, making Washington fans optimistic that he could lead the Wiz offense for the foreseeable future. Could they see a world where Harper has a higher ceiling though?
Admittedly these trade-downs seem more and more unlikely given the guard rotations the teams already have. It would come down to how much each team likes and values Harper.
Okay enough stalling, you clicked on the article, let’s get to the meat and potatoes.
Let’s talk about Giannis.
Scenario 3: Trade the pick for Giannis
Antetokounmpo has shared that he’s open to being traded from Milwaukee following their third straight first round exit, which means GM Jon Horst’s phone will constantly be ringing for the next few months.
The Spurs would be competing with several teams for the Greek Freak’s services, notably their other in-state rival the Houston Rockets, who some believe are a Giannis-sized piece away from being true contenders.
But now that the Spurs have the No. 2 overall pick, their trade package becomes even more enticing for the Bucks, perhaps even more than the Rockets’ offer that would revolve around Reed Sheppard, Jalen Green and their now No. 10 overall pick.
With Milwaukee’s PG Damian Lillard, 34, more than likely being out the entirety of next season, they now have a massive hole at PG, and Dylan Harper could fill that void.
The Bucks’ possibility of starting over with the likes of Harper could put the Spurs’ offer over a potential Rockets offer.
According to CBS Sports, a mock trade sees the Spurs trading Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, the No. 2 overall pick and another future first to the Bucks in exchange for the Greek Freak. Also in that trade, the Pelicans get the Spurs No. 14 overall pick and another future first.
The trade would pair Giannis Antetokounmpo with Victor Wembanyama, potentially creating the scariest front court in the entire league, defensively and offensively — as well as a difficult front court for many fans to pronounce.
The trade would also see Castle leave, which would be a huge blow for the Spurs, but given you’re receiving the two-time MVP Antetokounmpo, it could be a sacrifice the team is willing to take.
Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson would also be casualties, but given the depth of the Spurs’ forward position it might not be as bad as you would initially think.
The possible Spurs lineup would be:
- C: Victor Wembanyama
- PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- SF: Devin Vassell
- SG: Julian Champagnie
- PG: De’Aaron Fox
That’s without the draft or free agency, so there would also be time for the Spurs to fill in some of the holes Castle, Barnes and Johnson could leave.
Another trade mocked by The Athletic would also land Giannis in San Antonio, albeit this one is a bit more complicated:
- Bucks get: Zion Williamson, Keldon Johnson, 2025 first-round pick (Spurs, via Hawks), 2027 first-round pick swap rights (Pelicans), 2029 first-round pick (Spurs)
- Pelicans get: Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Pat Connaughton, 2027 first-round pick (Spurs, via Hawks)
- Spurs get: Giannis Antetokounmpo
In this version of the trade the Spurs lose Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and a few picks including the No. 2 pick.
Some Spurs fans are split on the possibility of Giannis, however.
The age is obviously a factor; Giannis is 30 while potential draftees Harper and Bailey are 19 and 18 respectively. Do they trade a shot of drafting a teenager with high potential for an aging established superstar?
It all comes down to what the Spurs’ plan is: are they win-now or do they want to roll with their young guys?
If they stay where they are and pick Harper, their lineup would look like:
- C: Victor Wembanyama
- PF: Jeremy Sochan
- SF: Harrison Barnes
- SG: Stephon Castle
- PG: De’Aaron Fox
- Bench: Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, whoever they draft at 14
While lacking the star power of having a Giannis, the Spurs depth may be tops in the league with all the young talent they would have collected over the years.
But Giannis isn’t the only star on the trade market.
Scenario 4: Trade for another star
Another option Spurs fans are considering is acquiring Lauri Markkanen from the aforementioned Utah Jazz.
Markkanen, 27, has been on the lowly Jazz for the last three years, putting up averages of 23 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
In the prime of his career, Markkanen could look to join a more win-now team in the Spurs. He’s also three years younger than Giannis.
You’d also assume the package for Markkanen would be significantly less than what a package for Giannis would be, which means the No. 2 overall pick and a contract that matches (say Harrison Barnes?) could be enough to acquire Markkanen. You also might be able to pry the No. 5 pick to take whoever is left from Bailey, Edgecombe or Tre Johnson.
Another player who has been rumored for the past few months to be traded to the Spurs is Kevin Durant.
While the rumors have somewhat died down since late March, the possibility of pairing Kevin Durant with Victor Wembanyama isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
After a disastrous season for the Phoenix Suns, fans have assumed that Kevin Durant will not be calling Arizona home next season.
Several teams have been rumored to trade for the former MVP, including the Warriors, Rockets, Knicks, Heat and even the team he notoriously left in 2016: the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs are also presumed to be a team who would want KD’s services, but if you were scared of Giannis’ age, you might want to shield your eyes for this next paragraph.
Kevin Durant is 36 and will be 37 when the 2025-26 season begins. When he was drafted in 2007, Wemby was 3 years old. Potential pick Dylan Harper? He was barely one.
It’s safe to say Durant isn’t exactly young, and to mortgage your future for him might not be what a lot of Spurs fans would want, especially if you can draft a player like Dylan Harper who has his whole career ahead of him.
So what should the Spurs do?
The only people who know what the Spurs are planning are the Spurs themselves, specifically new team president Gregg Popovich, CEO R.C. Buford, GM Brian Wright and head coach Mitch Johnson.
They have a lot of options, from picking a new potential PG of the future to going all in and trading for arguably the best player in the league.
It’s a good problem to have, and their decision could be the difference in them bringing home future championships, adding to the legacy of the Silver & Black.
And with Coach — sorry, President — Pop calling the shots, his track record suggests the outcome will more likely be good than bad.
The NBA Draft takes place June 25 and 26 starting at 7 p.m. on ESPN.