The San Antonio Spurs nearly shocked the NBA world by landing the top pick in the 2025 draft during the lottery on Monday night, but they will have to settle for the second overall pick, with Cooper Flagg presumably going to the Dallas Mavericks.
Between Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, and VJ Edecombe, the Spurs will have their pick of a lot of young talent, although Harper is the standout.
At 6-6, Harper can play either guard spot. He shot only 33.3 percent from deep during his lone college season, although he would be a special addition alongside Victor Wembanyama.
If the Spurs don't trade the pick for a superstar, then Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Harper will give the Spurs one of the better backcourts in the league from day one.
However, the Spurs could make a move that was previously assumed to be unthinkable.
“I would consider trading De’Aaron Fox personally, if I was the Spurs, and I would roll forward with the super young core you’ve got, and have Dylan Harper be the long-term point guard with Victor Wembanyama, at least think about it,” said ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
Fox averaged 19.7 points and 6.8 assists in 17 games with the Spurs after they traded for him from the Sacramento Kings. Finger surgery ended his season after Wembanyama was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, and the pair played only five games together.
Wembanyama and Fox were expected to be the centerpieces of the Spurs moving forward. Wembanyama remains untouchable, although Castle's breakout and Harper's potential could allow the Spurs to go younger.
Teams like the Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, and Miami Heat could all, in theory, be interested in Fox, although the most logical move would be having Harper come off the bench for a season and see if the Spurs, long term, can have their backcourt trio share the court in the starting lineup with Wembanyama down low.
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