Six Questions Answered After the Spurs Land the Second Pick in the 2025 NBA Draft

Dylan Harper is likely San Antonio’s target (Photo via X)

The San Antonio Spurs were blessed with lottery luck again for the 2025 NBA Draft. While the Spurs didn’t quite get the No. 1 pick and the chance to draft Cooper Flagg, San Antonio got the next best thing. When the lottery balls stopped bouncing, the good guys were granted the second overall pick in the draft along with the 14th selection

How frustrated are the Spurs about missing out on Cooper Flagg by one spot?

Obviously, getting the first pick and drafting Flagg would have been a history changing event for the franchise. A dynasty would have been all but expected at that point.

While it’s a little bit difficult to put aside what could have been with the top selection, getting the second pick is a great, great turn of events for the good guys. Coming into the lottery, the Spurs had less than a 14% chance of getting a top two pick — so there’s absolutely nothing to complain about in San Antonio.

In this draft, there’s a monumental difference in value from the No. 8 pick (San Antonio’s most likely result in the lottery) and the No. 2 pick. That jump up in the draft order is worthy of a celebration.

What will the Spurs most likely do with the second pick in the draft?

The most likely outcome going forward is the Spurs using the second pick to select Dylan Harper. I have Harper in a tier by himself behind Flagg but ahead of everyone else in the draft. To put it in perspective, he would have been the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft — and it would have been a no-brainer.

Harper is a 6-foot-5 playmaker with a silky smooth game. The lefty has great footwork, can penetrate the lane at will and is a crafty finisher at the rim. He has all the tools to be a good shooter who can create for others and be a plus defender on the other end.

It is noteworthy that Harper’s fit on the Spurs isn’t especially straightforward. He’s actually a similar player to Stephon Castle and there’s overlap to what Harper projects to be and what De’Aaron Fox already is for the Spurs. But, to be blunt, the Spurs aren’t good enough to care about fit more than they care about picking the best player available.

Are there any other players who San Antonio may consider?

The only player who I think deserves legitimate consideration from the front office is VJ Edgecombe. Since Edgecombe operates more away from the ball, he’d be an easier fit for the current roster. Compared to Harper, Edgecombe is clearly the better athlete, possibly the better shooter and has more potential on the defensive end.

That said, Harper is bigger than Edgecombe and is clearly a more skilled basketball player. Harper has a good chance of becoming a high-end playmaker with enough size to thrive even in the toughest of situations. That archetype is, in my opinion, too valuable to pass up on for a less dynamic player like Edgecombe. 

Could the Spurs use the pick in a package to land Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Moments after the lottery balls gave the Spurs the second pick, many pundits began talking about the Spurs using the pick in a package to potentially trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

I mean, it’s not a terrible idea. Antetokounmpo is at worst a top five player in the NBA. He appears to be willing to leave the Bucks and the Spurs may now have the assets to potentially land him in a trade.

That said, I think it’s a longshot that the Spurs make a serious attempt to land the Greek Freak. At 30, Antetokounmpo’s timeline doesn’t quite mesh with Wembanyama’s timeline. With Wembanyama still just 21, San Antonio pushing all of their chips to the middle of the table seems like a premature move. 

Taking a slower approach and combining Wembanyama with 19-year-old Harper and 20-year-old Castle sounds like the wisest move with the big picture in mind. Then again, the Spurs will surely hear a lot of tempting trade chatter between now and when it’s time to make the selection at No. 2.

So, how good is that 14th pick the Spurs got from the Hawks?

Lost in the excitement of the Spurs getting the second pick is the fact that San Antonio also has the 14th pick in this draft. Early indications are that the Spurs will be able to get an intriguing prospect with the final pick in the lottery. While there aren’t many sure things after the first few picks in this draft, at 14 there will be a handful of prospects worth betting on.

However, San Antonio will undoubtedly be open to the idea of trading the pick — especially if they go ahead and add Harper to their collection of youngsters on the roster. The Spurs traded their second lottery pick last year and could do the same this year.

How excited should Spurs fans be after what happened today?

Just missing out on Flagg is a bit of a bummer but, hell, getting the second pick is a big deal. It’s instantly one of the most valuable trade pieces in the entire NBA. The Spurs will now either draft a very good prospect or use the pick to land a star in a trade. That’s a very comfortable position th the franchise finds itself in.