Could the Spurs trade both picks to move up during NBA Draft? Latest intel says maybe

Posted by Admin June 6, 2024 NBA

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs are just a few weeks away from potentially making two lottery selections in the NBA Draft and recent reports indicate the team may be willing to make a deal.

According to ESPN’s NBA Draft insider Jonathon Givony, the team reportedly is considering trading their two Top 10 selections (No. 4 overall and No. 8 overall) for the No. 1 overall pick.

“I’ve been told that they don’t want to be bad (next season),” Givony said on an episode of The Ringer’s NBA Draft Show.

Givony said San Antonio has been mentioned as one of the teams willing to move up, potentially to take either of the Frenchmen, center Alexandre Sarr or forward Zaccharie Risacher.

“Sarr doesn’t have the all-around skills of Wembanyama, but then no one really does. He’s still extremely talented, an athletic 7-footer who can wreck rims and the hopes of opposing shooters,” the Associated Press said in a recent mock draft. “Risacher is a superb catch-and-shoot wing who can beat defenders off the dribble and has a huge defensive upside with his length and athleticism.”

France’s Alexandre Sarr of the Wildcats takes a free throw against the Cairns Taipans during a basketball game in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. This year’s NBA draft may be one of the weakest in years, with no clear-cut choice at No. 1 and an overall lack of depth. What it will likely have again this year: a French connection at the top. A year after San Antonio selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick, fellow Frenchmen Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher could go 1-2 in the June 26 draft. (Richard Wainwright/AAP Image via AP) (AAP IMAGE)

Either player would expedite the Spurs’ rebuild and give them another potential building block next to franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama.

“There’s also a sentiment that they (the Spurs) might want to accelerate this process and try and be competitive sooner rather than later if they can. If there are good trade opportunities out there for them to add veteran pieces that can help them make a playoff run as soon as next year. I was told that they would look at that,” Givony said.

The exact motivation for the Atlanta Hawks, who currently own the No. 1 overall pick to trade down, remains unclear.

There’s some speculation according to The Ringer that getting two bites at the apple might help their chances of selecting the right player in a draft with no clear-cut obvious selection.

Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, formerly a head coach of the Austin Toros from 2007-2010, is also reportedly a fan of UConn center Donovan Clingan, who may be available with the Spurs’ selection. There’s also rumors that the team has had difficulty even getting the draft’s top prospects to visit and work out and salary cap implications could be an issue as well, with the top pick required to have the highest starting salary, per the NBA’s rookie wage scale.