So
exstatic said it best: Primo was a lottery pick next year. So the Spurs signing Collins means they can tank for a lottery pick next year while not actually tanking. I don't know if you saw my A) B) C) post when it came to drafting stars, but Primo is closer to a C) than a B) and might've been an A) if he waited until next year. In English I mean he has a role-player ceiling as a floor spacer who should hold his own on defense. That's good for a player who has a ton of upside in terms of his body and mind. So you draft him and sign Collins and hope Primo can do spot minutes as a shooter for a year, a solid rotation player in year two and then eventually be a top option of the team in year three. If you aren't going to tank, you have to be willing to be patient with prospects, but you can't afford to just sign raw guys, since you need rotation players. So drafting a guy who can fit into the puzzle now and hopefully be a key part of it in the future makes sense.
The issue isn't going to be whether the Spurs are tanking or trying to win now. That's always been a false dilemma. The issue will be if the Spurs are willing to move on from their prospects to improve their long-term position, and if they can't trade guys like Murray, Walker or White and can't tell the different between the decent players and the top prospects on the team, then they have little hope of turning things around. Primo is talented enough to get minutes right away. If he doesn't because the Spurs insist on keep giving all the minutes to mediocre guards, then they're in trouble.