2025 SPURS DRAFT - PING PONG BALLS, PROSPECTS, PICKS

[GiggitySmalls]

I would trade fox and build around wemby, Harper, castle, and what they get for fox. It fits the wemby timeline, and Harper has Cunningham potential or potential in general to be better than fox. Harper and castle backcourt would be big and possibly elite. Draft Fleming at 14 would be a solid pick. 2 6'5 6'6 guys at both guard spots is hard to deal with especially when your best player is wemby. Fox to Houston for Smith, whitmore, maybe Sheppard?

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[G R E Y]

I would trade fox and build around wemby, Harper, castle, and what they get for fox. It fits the wemby timeline, and Harper has Cunningham potential or potential in general to be better than fox. Harper and castle backcourt would be big and possibly elite. Draft Fleming at 14 would be a solid pick. 2 6'5 6'6 guys at both guard spots is hard to deal with especially when your best player is wemby. Fox to Houston for Smith, whitmore, maybe Sheppard?

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Fox is getting re-signed. By us. Even if we run it out just for the end of this upcoming contract, it more or less overlaps with when we have to pay Harper his next contract, this after his getting plenty of minutes without having to shoulder the responsibilities of running a new team, new schemes, etc. And I don't care who it is, every player, Wemby included, had to adjust.

We're not putting year 3 Wemby alongside a figuring the league out rookie while we're in leveling up win now mode.

[CodeBreaker]

Trade #2 pick + #14 pick + Fox for Cooper Flagg

Knowing Nico, he'd probably consider this.

[G R E Y]

Trade #2 pick + #14 pick + Fox for Cooper Flagg

Knowing Nico, he'd probably consider this.

I wonder if Cooper pulls a Sarr and refuses to work out for them. He didn't look happy. But Sarr's was not a clear #1 class. Not so with this one.

I do think we consolidate assets, but not sure a now surely overly attentive owner eyeing every move his GM makes is going to allow a new top asset to slip through their fingers.

Wonder what options Cooper has if he truly doesn't want to play there. I'm sure lots of teams will kick the tires after seeing CF interviewed post lottery results but it'll be very hard to pry him away.

[G R E Y]

In honour of our great Lottery Luck, I am eating a big slice of carrot cake

[G R E Y]

We almost certainly will pick Dylan Harper with the #2 pick.

We do, however, have lots of options for #14, be it for us or another team. To these ends, some workout news trickling in:

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[G R E Y]

Like rusty said in another thread, the options to move up or back in the draft are there. I just hope if it's the latter that we're SURE about the guy we're targeting.

We've done well in the lotto and in the end of the first round consistently, but a quick look at selections in between shows a whole lot of meh:

2018: 18th pick - Lonnie (Metu with the 49th) 0-2

2019: 19th pick - Samanic; 29th - Keldon (Weatherspoon 49th) 1-3

2020: 11th - Devin (Tre Jones 41st) Good draft 2-2

2021: 12th - Primo uugh hhhhnngh (Wieskamp 41st) 0-2

2022: 9th - Sochan; 20th - Branham; 25th - Wesley (38th pick traded to Memphis) 1-3, maybe, as Sochan's spacing issues due to poor shooting make him a key contributor on D but a bench player because of his inefficiency.

So 13 picks. 1 traded, so 12.

Second rounders - only Tre can be said to be successful. So 1 of 4.

Lotto picks - 2-3, one a starter trade bait, one a great defender but coming off the bench unless he can prove otherwise with his O.

Non lotto 1sts - 1-5. Keldon, and even he's now a key bench contributor. But that's a lot of whiffs. I know Wesley and Bramham are on the team, but they barely played, getting more minutes towards the end of the season/injury fillers.

Put Blake's D and Branham's shot finishing together and you've got a very nice player. Alas... I don't expect them to be with us next season. *Maybe Blake as 3rd string PG* which is fine.

And you need quality depth as playoffs always show. So Sochan and Keldon are nothing to sneeze at. It just feels a bit underwhelming collectively.

All of which is to say that there were some lean years and now we've got another as close to can't miss prospect as we're going to get in a while if we're talking about our own picks.

That's a lot of rookies most of whom no longer take up spots, and several of the rest of whom will not be here come next season.

Do we need another with #14? We'll soon see.

I have to look into who I like but not too deep a dive as I think this pick along with some of the aforementioned players will get traded for upgrades.

[G R E Y]

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Edgecombe is 1/2" shorter without shoes. He has a 3" shorter wingspan than Harper. Yet his standing reach is only 1/2" shorter than Harper's. How is that possible? Long neck? Flexibility? What?

[G R E Y]

There's been some online chatter from Harper's father implying you never know what could happen on draft night with respect to which team selects his son. Implied Nets (they're from New Jersey) have a lot of picks from the Bridges trade they could use to acquire Harper.

I'm all for a guy being active on social media, for even advocating for his son, but it sort of kind of has a whiff of interference/implying they - Dylan's camp/father/perhaps by extension Dylan himself - would rather not have us draft him.

I recall we passed on Haliburton and drafted Devin instead because Hali's camp made it clear they wanted to be drafted by the Kings. It had a lot to do with opportunity to play right away for him. We have a glut of guards for now and while it may have a been a thing for a rookie to work his way into playing more when we were a vet laden team, all of our rookies from at least Devin onward, certainly all of our lotto picks, have had plenty of minutes. Maybe some don't want the development system and just want to play (again, Hali). But there's certainly room and minutes for a big talent to step in and have his game speak for him.

And maybe I'm affected by the SM posts, but I'm not getting a thrilled to be selected by the Spurs vibe. Cooper wasn't giving a thrilled to be selected by Mavs vibe. Mavs need a PG.............. Just saying.

I do like the Spurs flat out saying we're thrilled to both have the second pick and get to use it to select Harper. It's a strong message, confident, and we'll not just part with it for a dime to dollar deal, if we deal it at all. Good early leveraging of a strong position.

[G R E Y]

For now, we're keeping our picks.

#2 is a lock with Harper as BPA.

#14 has some intriguing possibilities:

ESPN has us picking Carter Bryant, a 6'8" SF/PF 3&D specialist rising up the boards. He's listed as 8th BPA by Ringer.

Ringer, on the other hand, mocks big Danny Wolf to us with this tantalizing lure: "turnovers, inconsistent shooting, meh-to-OK defensive upside—are a big reason why I think his responsibilities will need to be compressed into a smaller role in the NBA."
https://nbadraft.theringer.com/mock-draft

Hahaha! Okaaayyyyy...

Ringer, once burned badly by its gushing prognostication as top prospect in 2020, now out of the league, Killian Hayes, doesn't rank Nolan Traore in the first round!

Speaking of Traore, I guess we can kiss that dream (of mine) goodbye seeing as how we are now lined up to draft the best guard available.

Tankathon lists Wolf at 23, probably closer to reality, and instead has us picking Noa Essengue, a lanky 6'9" SF/PF.

Rasheer Flemming, a 6'9.5" PF has been garnering more attention with his smooth shooting, a good 3&D prototype.

We've reportedly scouted Noah Penda, a 6'7", 225lbs SF, a strong defender.

I am intrigued by Thomas Sorber, a 6'10", 255lbs C whose foot injury marred an eye opening season. Very strong, deft defender, high BBIQ. Not a 3s shooter.

Common denominator is wing to big selections here, which may or may not be a Sochan supplement/replacement.

p.s. I want to stress that Wolf's game and toolkit /vision package are unique and intriguing. It's just the explanation and slot don't coincide and it feels like some slotting is less analysis than covering. Slot and explanation don't jive.

[G R E Y]

Wemby working out with his best chess pal, prospect Maxime Raynaud:

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[Rustyman]

What does everyone think of Maxime Raynaud as I prospect. He does meet the need of a big, versatile, mobile and can shoot a bit. Is 14 too high for him or do we think he is the guy. Last year I was focused on Salaun and this year, if his measurements are okay, I am inclined to look at Essengue. We can get a real big in the 2nd round. That is a backup anyway.

[G R E Y]

What does everyone think of Maxime Raynaud as I prospect. He does meet the need of a big, versatile, mobile and can shoot a bit. Is 14 too high for him or do we think he is the guy. Last year I was focused on Salaun and this year, if his measurements are okay, I am inclined to look at Essengue. We can get a real big in the 2nd round. That is a backup anyway.

Yeah like with gump and his Edey fascination, you don't waste a lotto pick on a back up big.

I don't know that Maxime projects as a back up, and despite his very good results in scrimmages and measurements so far, and despite his moving up in stock, 14 seems high.

We will have to move up from 2nd round to get Maxine though.

Agree about Essengue though there are a couple of other options who also intrigue me.

[Rustyman]

What does everyone think of Maxime Raynaud as I prospect. He does meet the need of a big, versatile, mobile and can shoot a bit. Is 14 too high for him or do we think he is the guy. Last year I was focused on Salaun and this year, if his measurements are okay, I am inclined to look at Essengue. We can get a real big in the 2nd round. That is a backup anyway.

Yeah like with gump and his Edey fascination, you don't waste a lotto pick on a back up big.

I don't know that Maxime projects as a back up, and despite his very good results in scrimmages and measurements so far, and despite his moving up in stock, 14 seems high.

We will have to move up from 2nd round to get Maxine though.

Agree about Essengue though there are a couple of other options who also intrigue me.

Yep. If a guy is a 12-15 minutes player to take the backup center minutes from Wemby then I am not spending a high first round pick on that. Now if Maxime can play with Wemby, that is a different matter.

Backup bigs are free agent or second round signings.

[Rustyman]

For me, Derek Queen is currently off the board. I don't know if he can repair his image but his performance at the combine was pathetic.

It may be controversial, but Ace Bailey is also off the board, even if he falls to 14. His attitude and immaturity just seems off and then his combine measurements were average at best.

[G R E Y]

Hmm...

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If they give up enough for us to flip to Bucks...

[Netaman]

Hmm...

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If they give up enough for us to flip to Bucks...

just curious but how many would be the right amount taking the giannis piece out of it? is pick #8 + 2 future unprotected firsts in whatever years of preference in the ballpark? does Cam Johnson move any needles? realistically if there is a non-giannis directly involved trade id guess it ends up 3 team where nets move up from 8 to say 3 with Philly by helping them offload salary, and then Nets/Spurs swap something like 1 unprotected FRP to go from #3 to #2.

if you guys are doing a Giannis trade, which is what i expect, I feel like then it's more of a bucks question. Do they see Harper as good enough to bet big on or would they prefer to get a bunch of assets? Not sure of the answer but i think the Nets would be a willing 3rd team guys like Claxton/Johnson they'd be willing to include beyond draft assets.

[G R E Y]

Hmm...

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If they give up enough for us to flip to Bucks...

just curious but how many would be the right amount taking the giannis piece out of it? is pick #8 + 2 future unprotected firsts in whatever years of preference in the ballpark? does Cam Johnson move any needles? realistically if there is a non-giannis directly involved trade id guess it ends up 3 team where nets move up from 8 to say 3 with Philly by helping them offload salary, and then Nets/Spurs swap something like 1 unprotected FRP to go from #3 to #2.

if you guys are doing a Giannis trade, which is what i expect, I feel like then it's more of a bucks question. Do they see Harper as good enough to bet big on or would they prefer to get a bunch of assets? Not sure of the answer but i think the Nets would be a willing 3rd team guys like Claxton/Johnson they'd be willing to include beyond draft assets.

Not all top picks end up as best players and as Giannis and others have shown, not all best players are top picks.

That said, it's clear Harper is a high level prospect and the only way we're parting with this pick is for a Giannis trade. In other words, other than that scenario (which would likely include at least a third team ie/NOP which has Bucks picks) we're keeping #2. We're not offering it for Durant, not for Cam plus picks. Neither of the latter are better for us long term. Unprotected from Nets could be flipped I suppose but then Bucks would want Harper themselves.

Nets wanted both unprotected Hawks picks from us for Cam as a starting point. That leverage is no longer there.

All #2 roads lead to Giannis and Cam + picks does not get that so we wouldn't otherwise part with Harper. Teams only part with blue chip level talent for a larger collection of lesser talent and future potential when they have to ie/Giannis.

[Rustyman]

All #2 roads lead to Giannis and Cam + picks does not get that so we wouldn't otherwise part with Harper. Teams only part with blue chip level talent for a larger collection of lesser talent and future potential when they have to ie/Giannis.

A couple of weeks ago, I would have looked to trading Harper for another all star. Now I am not. Simply based on more information, I think the Spurs can do pretty well with Harper and unless Giannis is coming to San Antonio, I believe we should keep Harper. He can come off the bench to start and then move to the starting lineup if he can beat out Vassell. That is the bench mark I set for Harper.

[G R E Y]

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