12 Thoughts After the Spurs Draft Stephon Castle, Trade Rob Dillingham

[RC_Drunkford]

it's like none of y'all watch any interviews or read articles. Wright said this was one of the most collective efforts ever when it came to the draft.

[scott]

Now compare keeping #8 with the 3 possible lottery picks the Spurs might be drafting next season. Was keeping #8 worth having any influence on next year’s picks? Was #8 a more valuable prospect than any of next season’s potential lottery picks? This has to be taken into account.

It's just like any player on your roster - if there is an opportunity to draft a better one, you just do that and deal with it. The same way Blake Wesley didn't stop them from drafting Steph Castle, whoever they picked at #8 wouldn't stop them from taking a good prospect next year.

Think about it.

Let's say we took Cody Williams at #8:

1) he has a great year and looks like a budding star. Perfect! You can use your picks next year to continue to build around him.
2) he looks okay, but needs more time to develop. Cool, draft who you're going to draft and maybe Cody ends up the better player, or maybe he ends up a backup. He's on a cheap rookie deal, it's fine either way.
3) he ing sucks. Okay, you took a swing and it didn't work out. He's on a cheap rookie deal. You can trade him, or you can not pick up his 3rd year option, or you can hope he at least is a deep bench guy. It doesn't hamstring us anyway than two of the three guys in your Avatar are hamstringing us.

Before the team worries about some 4D chess move where they load up picks when we'll be good and have late picks... we actually have to be good first, which will require adding talent to this team.

[Uriel]

Express-News with an article about the 8th pick.

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/s...l-19547166.php

Spurs had a come to a consensus on a player a few days before, but Minnesota came in with the deal they were looking for. Night of (if I read right, kind of unclear), Minnesota called in Dillingham.

Explains what many of us have suggested, that they didn't really value a second player in the draft more than the flexibility of 1) using the incoming pick in a future trade, or 2) a possibly good young player at a time when adding talent is hard.

I hate that the article doesn’t mention whether that player (whom we all assume was Salaun) was already picked or not when it was the Spurs’ turn to make their selection. It seems to imply that he wasn’t, but doesn’t say so directly, which leaves the door open that he was. Perhaps it was purposefully vague because the author himself didn’t know.

Because if it wasn’t Salaun, I’m dying to know who it was.

[Mr. Body]

I hate that the article doesn’t mention whether that player (whom we all assume was Salaun) was already picked or not when it was the Spurs’ turn to make their selection. It seems to imply that he wasn’t, but doesn’t say so directly, which leaves the door open that he was. Perhaps it was purposefully vague because the author himself didn’t know.

It appears the trade offer came in from Minnesota when the Spurs were on the clock, so it wasn't Salaun.

[Uriel]

Also, all those rumors about the Spurs loving Carter, Williams, Buzelis, Knecht, etc. All lies. All smokescreen. The front office didn’t like any of them.

[Uriel]

It appears the trade offer came in from Minnesota when the Spurs were on the clock, so it wasn't Salaun.

That is how the article does make it sound, yes. Which begs the question: who was supposed to be their pick at #8?

[Mr. Body]

Also, all those rumors about the Spurs loving Carter, Williams, Buzelis, Knecht, etc. All lies. All smokescreen. The front office didn’t like any of them.

I wouldn't say that. They had a pick decided. The timeline seems to be, three days before the brain trust sat together and hashed things out. There might have been a number of angles and opinions. They decided who they wanted. (I guess they had alternatives in case their player was gone.) On the clock for 8, they were ready to turn their decision in when Minnesota called and gave them an offer. They decided to take it.

So, it's not to say they didn't like any of these players. They had one they were about to pick. It's that they valued the Wolves package more.

But it does sound like they were never totally sold on their 8 pick. There was news that they were putting it up on the market the day before the draft, which is why Minnesota called. Minnesota probably watching the draft and saw their guy Dillingham still available.

[Mr. Body]

If I had a guess as to what player the Spurs would have picked:

Carter
Williams
Buzelis

[Mr. Body]

A headache to consider, after all this: maybe it was better if Toronto hadn't conveyed this year after all.

[baseline bum]

It appears the trade offer came in from Minnesota when the Spurs were on the clock, so it wasn't Salaun.

Def makes Salaun sound like another smokescreen. ROFL Charlotte pissing away their #6 pick on him when they could have had Clingan.

[south side spur]

It's just like any player on your roster - if there is an opportunity to draft a better one, you just do that and deal with it. The same way Blake Wesley didn't stop them from drafting Steph Castle, whoever they picked at #8 wouldn't stop them from taking a good prospect next year.

Think about it.

Let's say we took Cody Williams at #8:

1) he has a great year and looks like a budding star. Perfect! You can use your picks next year to continue to build around him.
2) he looks okay, but needs more time to develop. Cool, draft who you're going to draft and maybe Cody ends up the better player, or maybe he ends up a backup. He's on a cheap rookie deal, it's fine either way.
3) he ing sucks. Okay, you took a swing and it didn't work out. He's on a cheap rookie deal. You can trade him, or you can not pick up his 3rd year option, or you can hope he at least is a deep bench guy. It doesn't hamstring us anyway than two of the three guys in your Avatar are hamstringing us.

Before the team worries about some 4D chess move where they load up picks when we'll be good and have late picks... we actually have to be good first, which will require adding talent to this team.

That’s interesting that you mention Williams because that’s who I wanted at #8. However, I understand that next draft is the framework for whatever the Spurs build around Wembanyama. Do I know all these potential prospects? Not at all. Although, all I keep hearing is how loaded the draft class of ‘25 is and I’d rather the smoke clear on whatever decisions are made afterwards. I wouldn’t want keeping #8 to have any negative impact on whatever PATFO decide then. Also, Charlotte might even move ahead of Atlanta and that might potentially be ANOTHER draft pick. Is it likely? No but I’m perfectly content keeping that salary open for a draft pick in the late teens who might be more valuable than whoever we would’ve kept at #8 and like I said I wanted Williams, bro. I just don’t know if there are so many more draft prospects more valuable in next year’s draft. Why risk having to go through trading a pick that’s only 1 year in development? We as Spurs fans always feel we can trade whoever we don’t want and end up with a more ideal roster construction but it never materializes.

[Mr. Body]

For the record, the only player I sort of regret on passing right now is Carter, if Dillingham wasn't on the radar.

Buzelis is questionable and you'd have to dig out room just to try to get him to learn basic basketball and I think the team is tired of those sorts of players.

Cody Williams, I'm not kidding, I see as possibly becoming Keita Bates-Diop someday. If things go well. Here's the comparison coming out of college. KBD was iirc something like Big Ten player of the year and Cody Williams was this wallflower whose minutes kept getting cut as the important games continued to get played.

https://tankathon.com/players/compar...ita-bates-diop

Things can always change, but throwing off the #8 was not a bad decision in itself.

[Uriel]

Three nights earlier, in a room not far from that practice court, all the members of the Spurs’ brain trust sat around a different table and came to a consensus. They were ready to draft a player at No. 8. They’d agreed on a prospect. And they were prepared to keep him.

But with seconds ticking away just before their pick was due, they received exactly the kind of offer they hoped would materialize Wednesday. The Minnesota Timberwolves wanted the Spurs’ selection, and they were willing to give up an unprotected 2031 first-rounder and the right to swap first-rounders in 2030 to get it.

Over the phone, the Timberwolves gave the Spurs a name — Rob Dillingham of Kentucky. Just beating the buzzer, the Spurs passed Dillingham’s name along to the league.

Again, the way the article is worded, it sounds like it’s not Salaun, but you can’t rule out Salaun either.

[Mr. Body]

[/FONT][/COLOR]
Again, the way the article is worded, it sounds like it’s not Salaun, but you can’t rule out Salaun either.

It was impossible for the Spurs to pick Salaun at 8 since he was already picked at 6. Yes, though, Salaun could have been higher on their board going in. However, the first paragraph you quoted suggests they'd picked their candidate three days before and this was the one they were prepared to pick the night of. Ergo, it wasn't ever Salaun.

[scott]

That’s interesting that you mention Williams because that’s who I wanted at #8. However, I understand that next draft is the framework for whatever the Spurs build around Wembanyama. Do I know all these potential prospects? Not at all. Although, all I keep hearing is how loaded the draft class of ‘25 is and I’d rather the smoke clear on whatever decisions are made afterwards. I wouldn’t want keeping #8 to have any negative impact on whatever PATFO decide then. Also, Charlotte might even move ahead of Atlanta and that might potentially be ANOTHER draft pick. Is it likely? No but I’m perfectly content keeping that salary open for a draft pick in the late teens who might be more valuable than whoever we would’ve kept at #8 and like I said I wanted Williams, bro. I just don’t know if there are so many more draft prospects more valuable in next year’s draft. Why risk having to go through trading a pick that’s only 1 year in development? We as Spurs fans always feel we can trade whoever we don’t want and end up with a more ideal roster construction but it never materializes.

I mean, why ever draft at all? There is always a risk that there is a better option next year, right?

[south side spur]

I mean, why ever draft at all? There is always a risk that there is a better option next year, right?

That’s definitely a valid point with basically every draft EXCEPT next year’s since we’ll possibly have 3 maybe even 4 draft picks.

[scott]

That’s definitely a valid point with basically every draft EXCEPT next year’s since we’ll possibly have 3 maybe even 4 draft picks.

We may have as few as two. And as we've proven... you don't actually need to make those picks. 2032 here we come!

[exstatic]

A headache to consider, after all this: maybe it was better if Toronto hadn't conveyed this year after all.

No, because we got the best of both worlds. A deferral, but a sure thing in the form of an unprotected pick. Throw in a swap on top.

[south side spur]

We may have as few as two. And as we've proven... you don't actually need to make those picks. 2032 here we come!

Then 2 draft picks will definitely be made. While the Spurs did trade this year’s pick they did just draft all 3 picks the prior year. Just curious where do you stand with those 3 picks 2 years in?

[CGD]

Charlotte screwed up Plan A, Spurs really didn’t like what was left enough to pay the premium price, and MIN walked in with an other that was too good to pass up.

This is not hard guys.

[scott]

Then 2 draft picks will definitely be made. While the Spurs did trade this year’s pick they did just draft all 3 picks the prior year. Just curious where do you stand with those 3 picks 2 years in?

Sochan I think has been okay. The areas he needs to improve are obvious. But he's shown enough for me to want to continue on. I don't think he'll ever be a star, but he doesn't need to be in order to be a successful player. He's definitely not untouchable, but he's not someone I feel like we need to go out of our way to get rid of.

Wesley and Branham, on the other hand, are at a point where they should have to compete for a roster spot. This is what makes passing on the #8 pick so baffling to me, and even more so punting on #35 and only getting a two way player in the second. I think we have 6 guys who should feel confident in their place on this roster (Wemby, Devin, Tre, Sochan, Keldon, Collins. Well, Castle too, so 7). Everyone else should be earning their place on this roster. But by not bringing in players, you're effectively giving a slot to Wesley, Branham, Champ, etc. It's not that I think those players MUST be replaced, but rather than they aren't good enough to avoid replacing should the right player come around.

This is where the argument that a #8 pick somehow blocks picks next year falls apart. Like I said, we only have 7 guys who (until they are moved) are solid players. Plenty of room for rookies, especially since guys like Tre, Keldon and Collins may or may not move on at some point. Personally, I would have taken Buzelis at 8, but honestly any of the guys who were talked about in that range would have been fine with me. We need talent EVERYWHERE on this roster, and that will still be the case next year unless we go through a major reshaping of the roster via trades this summer (which I seriously doubt).

[scott]

Charlotte screwed up Plan A, Spurs really didn’t like what was left enough to pay the premium price, and MIN walked in with an other that was too good to pass up.

This is not hard guys.

I definitely think this is partially true.

1) I think the Spurs feel like $6.2MM/yr is a "premium price" (because they are cheapskates. This is half of the MLE, for Pete's sake)
2) I think the Spurs feel really good about their talent poor roster (because they aren't very good at this anymore)

[CGD]

Again, the way the article is worded, it sounds like it’s not Salaun, but you can’t rule out Salaun either.

It also reads like they settled on a prospect, despite not wanting to draft him. Like it was forced. Then MIN came in and saved the day (from their perspective).

[Uriel]

Charlotte screwed up Plan A, Spurs really didn’t like what was left enough to pay the premium price, and MIN walked in with an other that was too good to pass up.

This is not hard guys.

So you’re saying Plan A was Salaun?

[heyheymymy]

If the Spurs view Dillingham inferior as evidenced by him being there and them not selecting him / preferring the trade instead, Spurs maybe see flinging Dilly onto MIN as part of the perceived value of the deal.

En ber this perceived albatross upon a potential conference obstacle and erode their flexibility to compliment or repair their roster while doing so. Then reap the value of the exchanged picks via trades or selections as they crystalize in worth from the damage.