The Spurs have a very real reason to keep an eye on the Eastern Conference this season, and it has nothing to do with Atlanta getting better.
San Antonio still owns the Hawks’ 2027 first-round pick, unprotected, and the path to that selection just got a lot more interesting. Atlanta went 46-36 last season and grabbed the six-seed in what was described as a manageable East, but that kind of comfortable runway may not be there anymore.
For the Spurs, that creates two ways to come out ahead: either the Hawks stumble, or the conference around them is simply too brutal to navigate. Either way, San Antonio benefits.
That pick is one of the last pieces from the Dejounte Murray trade still in play, and it will end up in San Antonio no matter what Atlanta does over the next two seasons. The Hawks already cost the Spurs once by pushing into the playoffs last season and turning what had been a long-shot lottery setup into the 20th pick. Jayden Quaintance could still end up being the steal of the draft, but that verdict is a long way off.
Now the Spurs have a shot at another lottery pick for next summer’s draft, though the Oklahoma City Thunder are making life harder for them. Oklahoma City sent Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins to Atlanta for a pair of second-rounders, adding two useful wings for almost nothing. The move was viewed with suspicion because the Thunder know exactly what Atlanta’s pick means to San Antonio.
Even so, the East may be doing the Spurs’ work for them.
New York is the reigning champion, Detroit is in the mix, and Cleveland, Philly, and Boston give the conference a strong top five. Then there’s Giannis-led Miami, Tyrese Haliburton’s return in Indiana, and Kawhi Leonard’s arrival in Toronto after the cap circumvention investigation wrapped up. Orlando also has to be counted after making the playoffs last season and hiring former Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney as head coach.
That’s a lot of teams crowded into a narrow race, and if Atlanta slips into the play-in and misses the playoffs, San Antonio gets another lottery pick. Even a selection in the 10-14 range would be a valuable addition to a roster this loaded already.
The Spurs don’t have to force any of it. They just need the East to keep beating itself up.
In Other News...
Wolves G League Trade Could Be Setting Up Another Guard Move
A multi-team G League deal this week sent the Stockton Kings the returning player rights to Tristen Newton and Teddy Allen, a move that also involved the Delaware Blue Coats and Iowa Wolves. On its face, it is the kind of transaction that lives deep in the leagues transaction wire, but these smaller-player rights swaps often hint at broader roster churn ahead as organizations keep their options open around the edges of the NBA season.
For the Spurs, the bigger picture still comes back to the same place: Victor Wembanyama is back in the frame after his time away with the French national team, and the organization is entering a stretch where every guard and every depth move matters. San Antonio also just announced a direct-to-consumer media partnership with DAZN, giving the club another way to stay connected with fans as the on-court roster conversation keeps evolving. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About Kawhis New Fallout
The NBA handed down a major punishment to the Clippers on Wednesday, stripping the franchise of five first-round draft picks, suspending owner Steve Ballmer for a year and fining him $30 million in a case tied to Kawhi Leonard. For Spurs fans who remember Leonards rise in San Antonio before everything that followed, the latest fallout is another reminder that his path through the league has rarely come without drama, and this one now reaches into the draft future.
Leonard was also fined $700,000 as part of the leagues action, adding another layer to a situation that already has the Clippers dealing with the loss of valuable assets. The penalties leave plenty of questions hanging over what comes next for Los Angeles and Leonard, with his future expected to take another turn toward the Raptors as the leagues discipline continues to reshape the story. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookie Could Force A Tough Change Behind Victor Wembanyama
Tarris Reed Jr. arrives in San Antonio with the kind of frame and raw promise that tends to make a frontcourt job a little less settled than it looked on paper. The rookie center is expected to push for minutes behind Victor Wembanyama, and for a Spurs team trying to build real depth up front, that sort of internal pressure can be a good problem to have.
Luke Kornet enters the mix as the established veteran, but Reeds physical tools give the Spurs another option if they want more size and impact around the rim on either end. How much that changes the rotation is still to be determined, but the battle for the backup center spot already looks like one of the more interesting roster fights in camp. [Read more 🡒]