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The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on in the 2022 NBA Draft. They have three first-round draft picks — the ninth, 20th and 25th overall — to help them rebuild a roster that came closer to the playoffs than anyone expected.
The beauty of having two first-round picks after the ninth overall pick is that the Spurs have so much room to make adjustments to their roster. They can add one of the better prospects in the draft (or use it as a huge trade chip) and still have a world of opportunity later in the draft. With a second-rounder at their disposal, the 38th overall pick, San Antonio could have itself a very busy draft day.
Picks 20 and 25 should be used in trades. The Spurs would be fine using both of them but they could do so much more with their roster. Here are three ideas.
3 best Spurs trades using picks 20, 25 in 2022 NBA Draft
3. Adding more future draft capital
The Spurs could hit up the Dallas Mavericks' line to get more draft picks for the future. San Antonio only has one additional first-rounder in the future. It belongs to the Chicago Bulls and they are not expected to get it until 2025. They could use more draft capital as they pursue their rebuild.
The Mavs would receive pick 20, Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr., the 26th pick and a future first-rounder.
Dallas has not been afraid to trade first-rounders in the past and may be willing to do so in order to land two healthy role players and move up in the draft. They could trade a pick as late as 2026. The Mavs would also land two rotation pieces in exchange for one that missed the playoffs with a broken foot. Although Hardaway should be back for next season, McDermott and Richardson can give them more depth.
Although that wouldn't be immediately worth it for the Spurs, it never hurts rebuilding teams to have more picks down the line. They would still have three firsts in the 2022 NBA Draft and could flip Hardaway once he completely recovers.
2. Adding a young big man
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With Jakob Poeltl's contract soon expiring, the Spurs should look for a young big to try out if they can't agree to an extension or look to trade him. The Indiana Pacers have one they could offer: Goga Bitadze.
San Antonio could obtain Bitadze and the 31st pick in the draft in exchange for Zach Collins and the 25th pick.
The Pacers, who have Myles Turner, Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith, would move up six spots in the draft and loosen up their center rotation. even if they decide to trade turner, Jackson and Smith have shown plenty of talent. There isn't much room for Bitadze. By taking this trade with the Spurs, they can at least improve their draft positioning before possibly just letting him walk.
Bitadze averaged 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in 50 games last season. The 22-year-old former Serbian League MVP has untapped potential as a 3-point shooter and has already displayed terrific promise as a shot-blocker in the NBA.
1. Trading up
In addition to packing their picks in the 20s for a pick in the early-to-mid-teens range, the Spurs can also package the ninth and 20th picks to move up in the top 10. Since San Antonio already has another late first-rounder, they should 100% do a trade like this.
Teams like the Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers (who pick fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively) all only have one first-round pick. Offering them another first-rounder should be pretty enticing. The Spurs could also add in their second-round pick to ensure they can move up.
For teams like the Spurs, the most important use of a draft pick is to find a future star to build around. They should increase their chances of doing so by consolidating some of their draft capital.
