https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/spurs-draft-night-trade-says-refusal-think-small-19547166.phpThree 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.
As one member of the team's front office put it, San Antonio has a "whole big chest of stuff" it can use in the coming years to acquire high-profile, long-term Wembanyama running buddies. And as another Spurs official noted, a 2031 pick from a current contender like the Timberwolves is more attractive than a 2025 selection would've been, because it allows time to "capitalize on chaos."
The answer is complicated, but it boils down to one motivating principle behind a trade like this:
Greed.
Simply put, the Spurs don't want a sixth Larry O'Brien trophy. They want an eighth, a ninth, a tenth. Their goal is not to win a championship in 2027. Their goal is to win EVERY championship from 2027 until, oh, 2035 or so.
That might sound unrealistic. It might sound certifiably insane. But blessed with the miracle that was the Wembanyama lottery, the Spurs consider it sacrilege to think small.
Yes, the tall Frenchman is good enough to start winning now, at age 20. Absolutely, if they wanted to, they could get aggressive and assemble a team that could make the playoffs this season.
But the objective isn't a quick postseason run. The objective is a dynasty.
And in a vacuum, forward-thinking moves like Wednesday's are a shrewd way to make that happen. Stocking up on draft capital years in advance allows good teams flexibility to add superstars, and allows great teams to replenish rosters with talent even in the new era of extra-punitive salary cap restrictions.
Let's say, two summers from now, the Spurs want to make a deal with a team starting a rebuild. That team won't want Dillingham just as he starts to get expensive. Instead, that team will covet the types of assets that fit its own timeline. Like, say, a 2031 first-rounder.