A God Builds a Castle With Barnes and a Vassell While An Alien Looks For His Ship - The Official 2024-2025 San Antonio Spurs Season Thread

duckbutta

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I don't mind trading out. This was a weak draft and we didn't need Dillingham with having drafted Castle

So the trade is fine, it's just the trading for picks in 2031 is what I'm tripping on
It's only a weak draft class because the people who are always wrong about everything said it was a weak draft class. Not possible to know how good players are until they play.
 

duckbutta

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There is no way to know if the Wolves will be bad in 6 or 7 years. If all they do is not trade Ant then they will have one of the best players in the league in his prime. Does that sound like the makings of a bad team?

The Spurs have never once ever packaged a bunch of picks to trade for a star player. So on top of not knowing if the Wolves will be bad or not, you are now relying on a team to do something they have literally never done in their franchise history, in order for these future picks to be worth something.

Trading that pick that far into the future was stupid. The Spurs didn't do anything last night but signal that they are tanking again by drafting a guard who can't shoot and trading a pick so far into the future that the player we draft with it is in somewhere between the 6th and 8th grade right now. If I told you list all the ways the Spurs get better around Victor, how far down the list would you have "draft a player who is currently in 8th grade?"

I don't even see the point of watching this team in 2025. I already seen Victor be a human highlight reel surrounded by trash in 2024. I don't need to see it again.

With Brian Wrongs terrible luck and just flat out being a bad GM, you can 5 star lock those Hawks picks won't even be lottery picks, and those pick swaps will be absolutely useless because we will have a worst record than the Hawks. We won't be getting anything out of that Dejounte trade other than the next Branhim and Wessley.

Only other team that has loss more or an equal amount of games ever year for 5 years is the Pistons.
 

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There is no way to know if the Wolves will be bad in 6 or 7 years. If all they do is not trade Ant then they will have one of the best players in the league in his prime. Does that sound like the makings of a bad team?

The Spurs have never once ever packaged a bunch of picks to trade for a star player. So on top of not knowing if the Wolves will be bad or not, you are now relying on a team to do something they have literally never done in their franchise history, in order for these future picks to be worth something.

Trading that pick that far into the future was stupid. The Spurs didn't do anything last night but signal that they are tanking again by drafting a guard who can't shoot and trading a pick so far into the future that the player we draft with it is in somewhere between the 6th and 8th grade right now. If I told you list all the ways the Spurs get better around Victor, how far down the list would you have "draft a player who is currently in 8th grade?"

I don't even see the point of watching this team in 2025. I already seen Victor be a human highlight reel surrounded by trash in 2024. I don't need to see it again.

With Brian Wrongs terrible luck and just flat out being a bad GM, you can 5 star lock those Hawks picks won't even be lottery picks, and those pick swaps will be absolutely useless because we will have a worst record than the Hawks. We won't be getting anything out of that Dejounte trade other than the next Branhim and Wessley.

Only other team that has loss more or an equal amount of games ever year for 5 years is the Pistons.
Maybe Wemby leads the Spurs to some titles and when he's 28, the Spurs are able to draft a great prospect in the lottery....instead of drafting 27th or whatever they did for most of Duncan's career.

:manny:
 

AlbertPullhoez

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Spurs 2024 Draft grade: Trading Rob Dillingham to the Timberwolves​

San Antonio acquired two first round picks for the eighth overall pick.

The San Antonio Spurs came into the 2024 NBA Draft with the opportunity to make two top-10 selections. There were rumblings that they could trade the eighth pick before the draft. It appeared that the Spurs had selected Rob Dillingham at eight, giving them an explosive offensive guard. Moments after the selection was made, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the pick had been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

San Antonio receives an unprotected 2031 first round pick and a protected 2030 pick swap from Minnesota. The trade opens up cap room for the Spurs to sign free agents this summer. If San Antonio waives all of their non-guarunteed contracts (Devonte’ Graham, Julian Champagnie and Charles Bassey) they could open up $26 million in cap room. It also gives the Spurs two more assets they can package in a trade for a star down the road.

Dillingham was a draft nerd favorite for his shooting ability and hot streak scoring. He seemingly would have given the Spurs some much needed offensive output at the guard position. However, there were real concerns about his defensive ability and he wasn’t the best playmaker at Kentucky. The Stephon Castle selection indicates the Spurs are looking to build a big, versatile roster next to Victor Wembanyama. In a draft filled with question marks, the Spurs decided to trade out, rather than make a second first round selection.


The trade gives the Spurs 15 future first round picks in the next seven drafts. As the Spurs begin to build a playoff team around Wembanyama, they’ll be able to use these assets to draft young talent, or package them together to trade for a star to play alongside him. The basketball world just saw the New York Knicks give up five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges. The price to trade for a star has never been higher. The Spurs are loading up on ammunition to put themselves in the position to pay that toll.

This move could be an indication that the Spurs are hoping to shift their focus from developing young players to acquiring veteran talent. With over $20 million in cap room this summer, they’ll be a contender to acquire a rotation piece or two in free agency or take on salary in a trade. The winner of this trade probably won’t be clear for another year or so, when we find out what the Spurs do with their cap space and draft assets.

With limited roster spots, San Antonio chose flexibility over developing another young player. Now all eyes are on Brian Wright, Gregg Popovich, R.C. Buford and the rest of the Spurs front office to utilize the flexibility to improve the roster around Wembanyama.

Trade Grade: B- (subject to change)

 

AlbertPullhoez

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The Spurs reaffirmed their commitment to the long view on draft night​

San Antonio didn’t let questions of immediate fit dissuade them from picking Stephon Castle and traded the 8th pick for a future selection that could be extremely valuable.

The Spurs had an interesting draft night. With the fourth overall pick, they selected Stephon Castle, an intriguing prospect who brings elite defense but is not a proven shooter, which is arguably what San Antonio needed most. Then, they traded the eighth pick to Minnesota for a protected 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

It’s not the draft fans of speeding up the rebuild were hoping for, but it’s a draft that gives the Spurs the tools to potentially build a sustainable winner. Patience appears to be the front office’s greatest virtue and while no strategy guarantees good results, San Antonio’s has enough safeguards that a complete fail seems impossible.

No one is surprised to see Castle selected fourth, but it’s understandable to have some worries about his fit. He wants to be a point guard, like he was before college, but doesn’t have traditional lead guard skills yet. More concerning, while his shot doesn’t seem broken, at this point he’s not an outside threat. The Spurs have experience developing defensive-minded big guards into well-rounded offensive players after doing it with Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, but those two took years to get reliable jumpers and by the time they had them they were not wearing Silver and Black anymore. At the team level, the biggest concern is whether Castle and Jeremy Sochan can even coexist due to their limitations as shooters. Castle could turn out to be a bigger Jrue Holiday, as ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said during the draft broadcast, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom Castle compared himself to, but it will almost certainly take time for him to get there.

The upside is worth the wait. Castle is a monster defensively, the type of perimeter player that sets the tone on that end and makes a rim protector’s job easier. Murray, White and Holiday are all good comparisons for what he could bring, as is any other elite guard defender. He’s good enough on defense and as a connective piece that even if he never becomes a primary shot-creator, he’ll bring enough to the table at either guard spot. The shot is a real issue, but every player in this draft had some question marks and there’s no reason to believe Castle can’t start by hitting corner shots and then expand his arsenal. The intangibles are also there since Castle was happy to play any role needed of him to win an NCAA Championship with UConn. He’s a hard worker who has no problem sacrificing but has the confidence to lead. Even if it takes him a while to show his worth, there’s a good chance he’ll succeed.

Castle is a good pick. The other decision the Spurs made on draft night is the really controversial one. There’s prioritizing the long view and then there’s trading the eighth selection for picks so far in the future that Victor Wembanyama will be in his mid-20s when they can be used. The visceral reaction to seeing a team that clearly needs talent now to avoid another uninspiring season punt on the possibility to add some is not going to be positive. But just like picking Castle despite his current limitations, it’s a smart play that could pay off hugely.

Let’s break down the details of the impact the move has this offseason. San Antonio traded the eighth pick on what experts universally called a weak draft into an unrestricted 2031 pick and a pick swap in 2030. By doing that they immediately created around $6 million in cap space to use in free agency by removing the cap hold of the eighth pick. It’s possible and even likely that cap room comes in handy when trying to target a veteran or two to plug in the holes. The Spurs will now also have another roster spot as well that they can use to take a flyer on someone or bring immediate help. Normally a rebuilding team would covet youth and upside over everything, but San Antonio has six players 21 or under on guaranteed contracts, counting Castle, so the developmental staff will have its hands full. The trade is about the future, but it also helps the team now.

As for the return, it’s better than it appears, for several reasons. First, the Spurs should have Victor Wembanyama locked up in the middle of his second contract in 2030 but Anthony Edwards will be an unrestricted free agent after 2029/30. Rudy Gobert is 32 and Karl-Anthony Towns is 28. Minnesota is not a free agent destination and they owe all their future picks to Utah. Rob Dillingham is a dynamic scorer and playmaker, but his height could make him a target on defense. No one can predict the future, but it seems sensible to assume the Timberwolves might not be good in six years, which would make the swap and the pick extremely valuable. And the Spurs have their picks along with two incoming Hawks picks and a few swaps set up in the near future, so they won’t be devoid of opportunities to add young talent until then.

The Spurs are thinking in terms of decades, which is something only a brain trust that has complete backing from ownership can do. It can be frustrating to deal with for fans who understandably want quick improvement but the type of vision and patience the front office is showing could allow them to create a perennial contender that keeps its core together despite the limitations of luxury taxes and second aprons by adding young, cheap talent through the draft well into Wembanyama’s prime. Or by accumulating assets, they can wait until the right superstar partner for Wemby becomes available and outbid all others.

Soon enough, the decision-makers in San Antonio will need to produce results. If Castle is not a hit, someone picked after the eighth pick turns into a star and the rest of the offseason fails to create progress, the scrutiny should and will increase. For now, with only the information we have on draft day, it’s hard to be angry at a front office that seems to be avoiding the myopia that often dooms rebuilding franchises.
 

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At the team level, the biggest concern is whether Castle and Jeremy Sochan can even coexist due to their limitations as shooters. Castle could turn out to be a bigger Jrue Holiday, as ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said during the draft broadcast, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom Castle compared himself to, but it will almost certainly take time for him to get there.

The Spurs are thinking in terms of decades, which is something only a brain trust that has complete backing from ownership can do. It can be frustrating to deal with for fans who understandably want quick improvement but the type of vision and patience the front office is showing could allow them to create a perennial contender that keeps its core together despite the limitations of luxury taxes and second aprons by adding young, cheap talent through the draft well into Wembanyama’s prime. Or by accumulating assets, they can wait until the right superstar partner for Wemby becomes available and outbid all others.
:ehh:
 

duckbutta

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Maybe Wemby leads the Spurs to some titles and when he's 28, the Spurs are able to draft a great prospect in the lottery....instead of drafting 27th or whatever they did for most of Duncan's career.

:manny:
The way this front office has been the last 5 years, if Wemby is on this team at 28 I'll be surprised.
 

duckbutta

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These pounding the rock :dame: dudes always have there head up the spurs front office ass. I stopped reading their shyt years ago cause they always try to put some positive spin on whatever they do.
 

lightskin jermaine

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Everybody was saying this was one of the worst drafts in nba history but then get mad when we decide to pass on one of those picks in exchange for 2 future unprotected 1st round picks. I liked Dilly but if I had to choose between him and 2 unprotected 1st rd picks, gimme the picks.

Yes the pick is far out but can always add it in a trade. Those unprotected picks are very very very valuable, look at OKC.
 
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