What will the Spurs do with their draft pick?

[Kori Ellis]

Place your bets.

There will be another vBookie to guess WHO the Spurs will draft.

[Horry For 3!]

Alright, cool. I placed my bet. :)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I'm going on a limb and say "Trade Down."

[TheTruth]

Too deep a draft for the Spurs to trade out. I see them staying put, and taking the best available swingman left. UNLESS, they can pick up two second rd picks in this years draft.

How do they move up? Trading Rasho? Hope not.

[TMSKILZ]

I say they trade up about 3-4 spots & draft a HS kid they project as a SG/SF, long & with hops like a Kangaroo!

[constantstate]

they have rasho, beno, former / future draft picks (to trade up)

something really interesting is that the new danny ferry cav's dont have a pick and they were reportedly shopping around jiri welsch. i know pop and rc had wanted that guy forever... so thats kinda out there too?

[Solid D]

Trade Down. Spurs have no 2nd rounders so they will pick up at least one, IMO.

[DesiSpur_21]

Trade out - 'cause not sure we get a quality SF (which is a high priority) that down the order.

[Boo]

i put out most of my vbookies, i better be right!

[NZHayden]

i like the odds on trade up! but i've bet on them keeping it

[Marcus Bryant]

While that first round pick does carry a guaranteed salary, a perhaps little noted feature of the new collective bargaining agreement grants teams an additional option on rookie contracts after the second year. This reduces the potential cost of drafting a player who doesn't make it in the league. Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs keep their pick and use it, perhaps to draft a player who they can wait on to develop. Given that a lot of teams in the draft will be looking for a player who can provide an immediate impact, a great talent who might need a little time to develop could be available late in the first round. The Spurs could be prospecting in this draft for such a player. They have some time to wait given their fairly full roster. Drafting a prospect under 20 years old makes a lot of sense, provided his potential warrants consideration. Next year's draft will be thinned out somewhat and the Spurs have already traded away their first round selection. The cost of drafting a player with this year's pick is relatively small.

That said, my vBookie $ is on the Spurs trading out of the first round for a couple of second round picks. For the reason discussed above, more teams will be willing to take on a first round guaranteed contract since the cost of drafting a bust has been lessened somewhat. The Spurs have a fairly stacked roster right now. To address needs (ie backup 3) they will use free agency or perhaps a current player. While they do have room for a young player on IR, the Spurs' modus operandi when they do not have an immediate need for a player is to take an international player and let them play overseas for a few years. The preferred vehicle for that is a second round, not first round, pick since the first round pick will count against the cap beginning with the next season. These drafts are so loaded with talent and the Spurs are quite adept at sifting through the flotsam and jetsam for the true gold nuggets. The Spurs could get multiple second round picks for their one first round pick. They might want to make up for the picks they gave up in the Malik Rose trade.

[Guru of Nothing]

I say the Spurs will keep the pick. Players always drop in the draft, and I expect one of those drops will be one of the Spurs' targets.

Question(s): Is it true that a team cannot trade it's #1 in two consecutive years? The Spurs traded next year's #1 to NY, correct?

[Marcus Bryant]

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#70

70. How are draft picks handled in trades?

Draft picks (both first and second round) count $0 for salary matching purposes. This is true both before and after the draft. This can make it very difficult to construct a trade that is equitable in both trade value and basketball talent. For example, Vancouver selected Steve Francis with the #2 pick in the 1999 draft, and traded his draft rights to Houston. When the trade was finally engineered, it included three teams (Orlando was also involved), 11 players (including Francis) and two future draft picks.

Once the draft pick signs a contract, his actual salary becomes his trade value.

Note that even though a draft pick's trade value (for salary matching purposes) is $0, the pick is included in the team's team salary at 100% of his scale amount once he is selected in the draft (see questions 38 and 41 ). If an unsigned first round draft pick is traded, then 100% of his scale amount is included in the acquiring team's team salary as soon as the trade is completed.

Teams can only trade draft picks five years into the future (for example, if this is the 04-05 season, then the 2009 pick can be traded, but the 2010 pick can't). It is common to "protect" picks depending on their position (e.g. "we keep it if it's in the lottery, otherwise you get it"), to avoid a repeat of some unfortunate past trades, such as the 1982 trade between the Cavs and Lakers, where the pick LA received turned out to be the first overall pick and was used to draft James Worthy). Now, it is common to see picks traded with protection that relaxes over several years -- for example, a first-round pick in 2005, unless it is in the lottery, in which case a first-round pick in 2006, unless it is one of the top three, in which case an unconditional pick in 2007.

In addition, teams are restricted from trading away future first round draft picks in consecutive years. This is called the "Ted Stepien Rule." Stepien owned the Cavs from 1980-83, and made a series of bad trades that cost the Cavs several years' first round picks. The trades, as columnist Chris Young put it, "amounted to giving up Manhattan for a bag of beads." As a result of Stepien's ineptitude, teams are now prevented from making trades which might leave them without a future first-round draft pick in consecutive years.

This rule applies only to future first round picks. For example, if this is the 99-00 season, then teams can trade their 2000 first round pick without regard to whether they had a 1999 pick, since their 1999 pick is no longer a future pick. But they can't trade away both their 2000 and 2001 picks, since both are future picks. Teams sometimes work around this rule by trading first round picks in alternate years.

In addition, teams are required to have only a first round pick, and not necessarily their first round pick. So teams may trade away their own future picks in consecutive years if they have another team's first round pick in one of those years.

[Marcus Bryant]

My guess is that as long as the Spurs use the pick and then trade the rights to that player they won't violate the rule.

[Guru of Nothing]

Years changed to reflect present day.


This rule applies only to future first round picks. For example, if this is the 04-05 season, then teams can trade their 2005 first round pick without regard to whether they had a 2004 pick, since their 2004 pick is no longer a future pick. But they can't trade away both their 2005 and 2006 picks, since both are future picks. Teams sometimes work around this rule by trading first round picks in alternate years.

Assuming we are NOW in season 2005-2006, and the Spurs have already traded away their 2006 pick to NY, then is my interpretation correct that we cannot trade this 2005 pick?

[Duncan21]

i put my money on keep him, its the safest option

[Marcus Bryant]

Years changed to reflect present day.



Assuming we are NOW in season 2005-2006, and the Spurs have already traded away their 2006 pick to NY, then is my interpretation correct that we cannot trade this 2005 pick?


But if the Spurs use that pick in this draft then it is no longer a "future" pick, I guess. Or perhaps the Spurs would have to wait until the 2005-06 season begins (July 1st?)?

[SWC Bonfire]

I think it means that the pick this year is no longer a "future" pic, but a "current" one. It just means that they can't make a deal involving trading next year's 1st round pic (2006, which is already going to NY I think for Nazr) and 2007's 1st round pic.

So no trading 2007's 1st round pic until it becomes the current draft, when they can deal it if they like. My interpretation is that they can deal the 1st round every year if they want at the time of the draft, just not in advance of the actual draft.

[Russ]

I think they'll close their eyes and hope for the best.

Oops, sorry, that's the Lakers.

[Guru of Nothing]

In other words, draft a player for another team, a la the Bill Curley miracle; maybe draft for Seattle and finagle some sort of sign and trade along with Beno for Antonio Daniels.

I really should not think about this stuff without a cold beer in hand.

[SWC Bonfire]

I really should not think about this stuff without a cold beer in hand.

Keeps the brain from overheating. I tried explaining the great physical properties of beer as a coolant, but my boss wasn't buying it. :drunk

[Sense]

Keep it....

if they get to steal someone from the draft which could be possible...they'll just keep.

[Dex]

I like these vBookies because I don't feel like I'm jinxing anything this way. :lol

I'm digging the 10/1 odds

[Solid D]

A very good question GoN. If the rule Marcus posted is current and the Spurs have traded away consecutive year picks (PHX's pick for 2005 and their own for 2006), then they have to do a work-around. I would agree with Marcus that making the pick for another team and then trading the player's draft rights is the right call there. That's the loop-hole.

[timvp]

Bump.

[tlongII]

They should keep it. This draft is deep.

[Marcus Bryant]

Yeah, that only applies to "future" picks. So the Spurs can't trade tonight's pick, but they can draft a player with that pick and then trade his rights. A hop, a skip, but basically the same thing as trading the pick.

[Jimcs50]

24K!!!

Yes!!!

[ZStomp]

Did I win? I bet that they would keep it!

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I.... won?

[ObiwanGinobili]

i won. just waiting for this thing to pay out.. my vbookie looks soo ugly after my 1 out of 4 baseball catastrophe....

[smeagol]

I.... won?
Yes my friend . . . the rich get richer! :lol

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Yes my friend . . . the rich get richer! :lol
Whatever you say, Bill! (Gates) :lmao