The San Antonio Spurs have been handed a label that usually gets thrown around by rival fan bases with a grin and a shrug: lucky. And in this case, there’s some truth to it. Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper all arrived through the lottery, and the Spurs had to roll the dice for three straight years to get there.
But that only tells part of the story. The better read on San Antonio is that the organization mixed fortune with planning, patience, and a long view that started well before Wembanyama was available.
The clearest example is Wembanyama himself. Drafting him was not some accidental windfall.
The Spurs were the first team to scout him, going back to when he was 16 years old. By the time he was eligible for the draft, the rest of the league was well aware of him, but San Antonio had already mapped out its rebuild years ahead of time.
It was a process built with intention.
“The Spurs are exceptionally well-managed. They are also exceptionally lucky,” wrote CBS' Sam Quinn.
“If the Spurs do indeed win championships in the years to come, luck will be the single biggest reason. It just won't be the only reason.
They've replicated OKC's infinite draft pick scheme better than anyone else in the NBA, altering it slightly by prioritizing first-round swaps to try to set themselves up for as many bites at the lottery apple as possible.”
The Spurs’ run of lottery success may have required a good deal of fortune, but their track record in the draft goes beyond that. Players such as Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Dejounte Murray, and Derrick White were not obvious can’t-miss stars, and all four outperformed expectations. San Antonio either developed them into useful pieces or turned them into trade value.
That list even leaves out undrafted players like Julian Champagnie.
And while the team may have “lucked” into its three biggest young names, keeping a core together over time is a different matter entirely. That’s where the organization’s structure comes back into the picture.
Could another team have convinced Wembanyama to take a pay cut? Or does that reflect the Spurs’ ability to build relationships players trust?
“Of course, that young core figures to be a bit cheaper than it should be,” Quinn added. “The core of their last dynasty all took discounts, and, at the very least, the Spurs deserve credit for maintaining a culture in which players are eager to do so.”
If Castle and Harper end up following that path, the lottery luck will still matter. But keeping them in San Antonio would be about more than chance.
In Other News...
Spurs Arena Push Just Cleared A Hurdle With Big Stakes
The Spurs push for a new downtown arena cleared an important political hurdle this week when the San Antonio city council declined to reopen the $489 million funding question for a public vote. The project remains a major civic undertaking, with the Spurs planning to cover $500 million of the $1.3 billion price tag while the city and county handle the rest, keeping the focus on how quickly the franchise and local leaders can turn a long-discussed vision into something concrete.
Spurs CEO RC Buford backed the councils decision and framed the arena process as one that can now keep moving forward on a long runway. The club is still targeting a 2029 start to construction and a 2032 opening, a timeline that gives the organization room to keep working through the financing and planning details while the rest of the basketball operation carries on, including Victor Wembanyamas new role as captain of the French national team ahead of World Cup qualifying. [Read more 🡒]
Dwyane Wade Just Raised The Stakes For Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama has already moved from cant-miss prospect to one of the NBAs defining young stars since the Spurs made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He has piled up the kind of early rsum that usually takes years to build, earning two All-Star nods while establishing himself as the centerpiece of San Antonios rise back into the leagues upper tier.
Dwyane Wades public praise only adds to the pressure that comes with that trajectory, because expectations around Wembanyama are no longer about potential alone. The Spurs have a franchise player with elite credentials already on the board, and when a three-time champion starts talking about what should come next, it is a reminder that San Antonio is being measured by a far bigger standard than just making noise in the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
DeMar DeRozans Denver Move Could Create A New Spurs Opening
DeMar DeRozan is headed to Denver on a one-year deal, according to NBA senior insider Chris Haynes, and the move is already being picked apart for what it says about the Nuggets' current construction. DeRozan brings real scoring value and a long track record as a halfcourt shot-maker, but the fit questions are easy to see when you look at a roster that still has to balance its offense with the demands of the Western Conference.
For San Antonio, the more interesting layer is what this kind of veteran swing can mean around the league as teams keep chasing short-term answers. Denver is trying to add another established name to its mix, but this is the sort of deal that can also sharpen the pressure on a roster if the pieces do not naturally complement each other, and the Spurs know that kind of ripple effect can reshape the market even when they are not the team making the move. [Read more 🡒]