The San Antonio Spurs moving up to the No. 2 pick could transform the possibility of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destination. San Antonio already had a surplus of future draft capital they could use in a trade, but the assured high value of a No. 2 pick certainly further improves their chances.
Dylan Harper is the consensus second best player in the draft, but his positional overlap with De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle could lead them to trade down for a player that is a better fit while accruing additional assets. The Spurs traded out of No. 8 at last year’s draft with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 2031 unprotected first rounder and a top-1 pick swap in 2030. Rob Dillingham could have been an intriguing pick for the Spurs, but the optionality of those future picks are certainly far more valuable to them now, especially with their anticipated backcourt crunch if they do keep Harper.
“The focus now in the Giannis situation is the No. 2 pick, which was gotten by the San Antonio Spurs,” said Brian Windhorst on Friday’s Get Up. “Do the Spurs look to make a package offer for Giannis? Or do they look to move it to another team in this draft? There’s a lot of interest in the No. 2 pick in this draft. This will be where the draft is really decided. Giannis will have a play in that as well.”
Many rival executives expect the Spurs to eventually keep the selection to pick Harper.