Getty Image / Justin Ford
Heading into the first found of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, the San Antonio Spurs were expected to add two top-ten picks, as they held the 4th and 8th pick. Those two picks, they hoped would be the players that would be the perfect fits to build around phenom Victor Wembanyama.
They used one of those picks, as they took UConn guard Stephon Castle with the 4th-overall pick. But, it’s their unexpected trade of the 8th-overall pick, which ended up being Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, to the Minnesota Timberwolves has puzzled many.
The Spurs got back a pick swap in 2030 and an unprotected first-rounder in 2031.
The Timberwolves are trading a 2031 unprotected first and a protected 2030 pick swap to the Spurs for Dillingham, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/jTMUQlhsrh
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024
Teams trade draft picks on draft night all the time. But, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a top-ten pick traded for two picks that are at least six years out. So, what could the Spurs possibly be thinking while doing this move?
First off, this was considered by pretty much everybody to be a very weak draft class. While I’m sure some good players will emerge, there weren’t many, if any, sure things in this draft class. And, as they look to upgrade the roster around Victor Wembanyama and start to compete in the near future, with an eye on the postseason next year, not having an 8th-overall pick will save them about $8 million in cap space.
Still, those picks are pretty far out, so why wouldn’t they get picks that aren’t as many years away? The Timberwolves are pretty good right now, so getting some Timberwolves picks in the next few years aren’t very valuable when it’s likely. those picks end up in the 20s. But, by 2030, who knows how good they will be. It could end up being two great picks.
Ultimately, that’s the message I think they’re going to sell other teams, because there’s no way, in my opinion, they ever actually end up making these picks. At some point, whether it’s this offseason or in the future, they’re going to package these picks as part of a trade to get another superstar around Victor Wembanyama. Assuming Wembanyama stays healthy, he’s going to be the league’s best player sooner rather than later, and that will open up a long window of contention for the San Antonio Spurs.
We may look back on this trade in a few years as a genius move by Spurs GM Brian Wright