Photo by Kena Krutsinger/NBAE via Getty Images The Spurs will have two lottery picks this year and are in a good place going forward, no matter what they decide to do this offseason. The Spurs got lucky at the lottery. Not only did they move up one spot to secure the fourth pick but also got the Raptors’ eighth pick this year thanks to Houston and Atlanta moving up. The asset accumulation process that San Antonio underwent as it disassembled its roster a couple of years ago is bearing fruit. Now the question is what happens next. Will the Spurs keep the picks or trade them? Has anything changed dramatically around the league after the lottery? Let’s take a look at what the lottery results mean for the Silver and Black. We are about to see how patient the Spurs truly are The Spurs rebuild is going great, mostly because they got the top pick last year and landed Victor Wembanyama. The big man has been somehow even better than advertised and after just one season has cemented himself as a franchise player and future superstar. San Antonio has its centerpiece and the decision-makers have expressed that they will take things slow. How patient the Spurs can be while trying to put pieces next to Wemby will be tested by having four picks in the upcoming draft. Brian Wright could follow the slow rebuilding strategy that the Thunder and many other franchises have followed and simply use those picks to add young talent. As we mentioned, San Antonio could target a guard and wing with range to address its biggest deficiencies on the roster with its two lottery picks, then make a couple of gambles that could be slotted on two-way deals with its two second-rounders, the 35th overall pick and the 48th overall pick. The Spurs, the youngest team in the league last season, could get even younger in hopes of finding long-term pieces that can grow with Wembanyama. Sure, the approach might not be conducive to winning in 2024/25, but the next draft is supposed to be a good one and a high pick then could be very valuable. Do the Spurs have it in them to go through another season with so many losses, though? As good as some of the prospects that should be within San Antonio’s reach are, they can’t be expected to come in and contribute in the way a veteran would. And the team already has young players in need of development. Does it make sense to pick a guy in the lottery who might not get much playing time as a rookie or would it be better to aim higher in the short term? The picks might not be as valuable as they would have been in other years, but let’s say the Jazz or the Bulls decide to sell high on Lauri Markanne or Coby White, as an example. You can insert any young veteran of your choice in this hypothetical. It could be extremely tempting to trade one or both picks for someone who can come in and start from day 1 instead of adding more projects that might not pan out. There’s no obvious right answer here, which is why it will be so interesting to see how the front office plays its hand. The Spurs have been preaching patience, but building fast has to be a possibility. The Hawks getting the top pick could create chaos that helps San Antonio Atlanta got lucky and landed the top pick despite going into the lottery with low odds. The Hawks, which disappointed last season and have been in turmoil, suddenly got a very interesting asset they can use to improve their roster by either picking a prospect or trading the pick. It’s clearly a good thing for the franchise, but it also adds another major factor to consider for a front office that already has a lot to think about. The plan for the Hawks. had they stayed at 10 after the lottery would have been simple. They have no incentive to tank because they owe the Spurs their 2025 and 2027 first-rounders and a pick swap in 2026, so they need to get better. The obvious play was to trade one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray for some frontcourt help and try to get some veterans to improve the locker room. But now the Hawks have a lot more options, ranging from the conservative to the bold. Do they trade the pick for future draft capital or multiple first-rounders in this draft in order to secure cheaper, younger talent in the coming years after mortgaging their future in the Murray trade? Do they use the pick to trade for a veteran star that could be on the move, like Paul George or Jimmy Butler? Do they keep the pick, select a prospect and risk alienating whichever star guard they keep by not making a win-now move? To be clear, getting the top pick is a huge positive for the Hawks, but it also introduces more uncertainty. There is a chance that this will be General Manager Landry Fields’ opportunity to right the ship in Atlanta, which would make the picks his franchise owes the Spurs less valuable. But there’s also a chance that this emboldens Fields to make riskier moves that are smart in the long view but end up hurting the Hawks in the short term. Going into the lottery, Atlanta seemed headed to a few years of mediocrity. Now other outcomes, including some that could benefit San Antonio, seem to be in play. Source: https://www.poundingtherock.com/2024/5/ ... -the-spurs