The San Antonio Spurs had complete control in the 2023 NBA Draft, winning the draft lottery for the No. 1 pick and getting Victor Wembanyama. While the Spurs front office has far less control over the top of the 2024 NBA Draft, their strategy should yield positive results.
While San Antonio didn’t win the 2024 NBA Draft lottery, it does hold the 4th and 8th overall picks this year. While there is no franchise-changing talent in this year’s class, some of the top 2024 NBA Draft prospects are good fits for what the Spurs want to build around Wembanyama.
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- San Antonio Spurs future draft picks 4th overall, 8th overall, 2025 CHA 1st (lottery protected), 2025 1st, 2015 Hawks’ 1st, 2025 Bulls’ 1st (top-10 protected), 2026 ATL swap rights, 2027 ATL 1st,
An organization that puts an emphasis on defense and likes lengthy playmakers has plenty of options. San Antonio could also be more aggressive, as demonstrated by the NBA trade rumors linking the team to Dejounte Murray, Trae Young and Darius Garland.
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San Antonio has shown that aggressiveness in some ways already, reportedly making repeated attempts to acquire the No. 1 pick from the Atlanta Hawks. However, with draft night approaching, it seems to becoming clearer what the Spurs will ultimately do.
In his latest NBA mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote that the Spurs have made it pretty clear to teams their plan is to take the best player available at No. 4 and No. 8 overall. More importantly, though, Givony seems to indicate San Antonio will take the patient approach this summer.
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“The Spurs are telling rival teams they will be taking a best-player-available approach at picks No. 4 and No. 8 despite having backcourt needs and a lack of shooting and playmaking — areas they’ll need to address in due time. Taking a patient approach seems to be San Antonio’s strategy for now, as there are plenty of scenarios in which more attractive options become available in the near future.”
Jonathan Givony on the San Antonio Spurs’ approach
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Patience might be the right approach for the Spurs this summer. While they do have cap space, many of the top NBA free agents in 2024 are in their 30s and don’t align with San Antonio’s timeline for competing. As for potential Spurs trade targets, the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently not interested in trading Garland and the Atlanta Hawks might be more inclined to move Young over Murray.
With the wealth of draft capital and cap space San Antonio has, it doesn’t have to rush into anything this offseason. The Spurs can use the 2024 NBA Draft to find players with skill sets who complement Wembanyama, providing more playmakers and versatile defenders around him. Then, when superstars are available, San Antonio can jump into the market for them.
