2026 Atlanta pick swap watch

[objective]

Might as well get this party started right now.

The genesis of this thread is based on how little the Spurs improved in my opinion. So little that I expect Atlanta to have a better record than the Spurs next year, even if they trade Dejounte for instance. Yeah yeah yeah, Spurs still haven't signed whichever one dimensionql scrub is their annual free agency prize yet, but I don't care to wait.

And if Atlanta has a better record plus good young players like Risacher and Johnson improving, while the Spurs have a menagerie of non shooting non point guards... Why couldn't they be better in 26?

Sure, Spurs could have a lottery pick in 25. Enough to make a difference in time?

For anyone who automatically counts the 26 swap as a sure thing ... This thread's for you

[scott]

The dark underbelly of swaps: they don't actually matter if you're still the worse team.

[scott]

If the Spurs are just running it back plus Steph Castle this year, then they are soft tanking for 2025, which means in 2026 we're going to have one or two high draft picks as part of our core lineup. Not at all far fetched to think ATL could still be better in 2026.

[Seventyniner]

The dark underbelly of swaps: they don't actually matter if you're still the worse team.

imo PATFO assumes they will be a top 5 team in 2030 and 2031, which increases the value of the swap if you assume that actually happens.

[Ariel]

Unless the Spurs are just running it back plus Steph Castle this year, then they are soft tanking for 2025, which means in 2026 we're going to have one or two high draft picks as part of our core lineup. Not at all far fetched to think ATL could still be better in 2026.
I think Spurs go all out next year. They must, that's Wemby's third season and he's extension eligible right after. If you want him to sign a 5 year deal with no options, you have to sell him on a bright future. Hard to do so if you can't be better than a (likely) mediocre Atlanta team.

[scott]

I think Spurs go all out next year. They must, that's Wemby's third season and he's extension eligible right after. If you want him to sign a 5 year deal with no options, you have to sell him on a bright future. Hard to do so if you can't be better than a (likely) mediocre Atlanta team.

I hope so... what I was going to say before I changed thoughts (which is why I accidently started the sentence with "Unless" instead of "If")... that I hope the Spurs are hoping to reshape the team with vets instead of rookies this offseason and go aggressive in FA and trades to do so. That would be the only logical explanation for the way they handled this draft, IMO.

In that case... I think our Swaps have a chance to be in the money. But if we're just going to stay in this asset-accumulation tank mode, then the swaps are pretty worthless.

We'll find out when FA starts on Monday!