SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs struck gold in the NBA Draft Lottery once again, securing a top-five overall pick for the third consecutive summer.
After being the team with the eighth-best odds to get the No. 1 overall pick, San Antonio nabbed the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. The Spurs also hold the No. 14 pick, giving them significant assets to shape their future.
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With the Dallas Mavericks widely expected to select National Player of the Year, 6-foot-9 forward Cooper Flagg from Duke at No. 1, the question on every Spurs fan’s mind: What will San Antonio do with the No. 2 overall pick?
Several mock drafts and analysts project the Spurs to select Dylan Harper, a 6-foot-6 combo guard who made waves during his one-and-done season at Rutgers.
Harper averaged an impressive 19.4 points per game on 48.4% shooting from the field, along with 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He also earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
Harper’s combination of scoring, playmaking and pick-and-roll ability, paired with his 6-foot-10.5-inch wingspan, makes him a versatile offensive threat.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that the Spurs are “very excited” about the opportunity to draft Harper and are signaling to other teams that they plan to keep the No. 2 pick to select him.
Givony emphasized Harper’s strong performance at the NBA Draft Combine, noting his improved physique (losing 15 pounds over the last year), shooting and his comparable measurements to Dwyane Wade when he entered the draft out of Marquette University in 2003.
“Dylan Harper is going to be the No. 2 pick in the draft,” Givony said. “I am 99.9% sure about it.”
On May 12, the night of the draft lottery, Spurs general manager Brian Wright emphasized the type of player that comes with a top-two selection, which gave some weight to Givony’s report.
“You want the highest level talent you can get and the highest character,” Wright said. “We think that there’s (sic) good players in this draft to help us accomplish that. We’re excited to go forward. Great night for the organization, for the city, for the team.”
While Harper is a highly touted prospect, the importance of a prospect’s fit on a team cannot be underestimated.
The Spurs’ backcourt is already stacked with young talent and veteran leadership.
Stephon Castle, the No. 4 pick in 2024, won NBA Rookie of the Year.
The team also acquired De’Aaron Fox, an All-Star point guard in the prime of his career, in a trade earlier this calendar year.
Adding Harper, another ball-dominant guard, could raise questions about how his game would fit alongside Castle and Fox.
Harper himself addressed some of those concerns.
“The NBA is really positionless basketball,” said Harper at the combine. “You could play with a bunch of ball handlers and a bunch of people that could get opportunities for themselves but let other people get opportunities for them.”
Some analysts argue that Harper’s skill set — elite finishing, high basketball IQ and pick-and-roll mastery — makes him too talented to pass up, even if it could mean a crowded backcourt.
The Spurs could adopt a positionless approach, leveraging Harper’s size and versatility to play multiple roles.
Others, however, suggest that San Antonio might prioritize a wing or frontcourt player such as Harper’s Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey for a better immediate fit alongside Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs’ generational big man.
While drafting Harper appears to be a likely outcome, the Spurs’ No. 2 pick is also a valuable trade chip that could be used to pursue a so-called win-now superstar.
The most prominent name in trade rumors is Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 30-year-old Milwaukee Bucks superstar, NBA champion and former MVP.
Reports surfaced just before the draft lottery that Antetokounmpo might be open to a trade, which sparked speculation about a potential blockbuster deal.
The prospect of adding Antetokounmpo to Wembanyama and Fox has many around the league believing the trio could vault the Spurs into immediate championship contention.
“If the Spurs paired Giannis and Wemby, they would be the favorite to win the title next year,” an Eastern Conference executive told The Athletic. “They’d have two guys who might be top-five players in the league next year on the same team. Plus, they fit.”
A potential trade package could include the No. 2 pick (likely Harper), young players like Castle or guard Devin Vassell, and additional draft assets, such as first-round picks from Atlanta (2027) or Boston (2028).
The cost of acquiring Antetokounmpo would be steep and would likely compromise some of San Antonio’s depth and future flexibility.
The Bucks, lacking their own future draft capital, should demand a hefty return to kickstart a rebuild. Other playoff-caliber teams like the Houston Rockets or Oklahoma City Thunder could outbid the Spurs.
The Spurs could also explore trading the No. 2 pick for a different star or packaging it with their No. 14 pick to acquire multiple role players or future draft capital.
However, based on Wright’s public comments, San Antonio values the opportunity to add a talent like Harper to their roster over chasing a trade that might not materialize.
At the heart of the Spurs’ decision is Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 phenom who averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks in his second NBA season — which was cut short halfway through due to a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis.
With Wembanyama on a trajectory to become an MVP-caliber player, the Spurs are focused on surrounding him with the right pieces to maximize his potential.
Whether that means drafting Harper to form a dynamic young core or pursuing a trade for a proven star like Antetokounmpo, San Antonio’s front office has a critical decision to make on the horizon.
“You feel confident you’re going to get someone that can help you guys right away,” said new Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, who is the franchise’s successor to Gregg Popovich. “I don’t think you ever want to put a timeline on it, right? Or unfair expectations. Everybody has a different, I guess, onboarding to this league. This league is not easy.”
“But, anytime you have the ability to add someone of the caliber of talent that we’re looking at, the No. 2 pick, it’s someone that has high upside and a high floor.”
Round 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 25 and will air live on KSAT 12 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
One thing is certain: the Spurs’ No. 2 pick has made them one of the most intriguing teams to watch this offseason.
Will they stick with Harper and build for the future, or swing for the fences with a blockbuster trade?
Only time will tell.
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