A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... There was a PF named Tim Duncan. Fast forward 18 years later, The Big Fundamental may be on his way out. That's a tough pill for Spurs faithful to swallow but it may be a reality. While Duncan has not officially announced his retirement as of this writing, one thing is for sure, he is on his way out.
What does this have to do with the Spurs draft preview you might ask? The answer is simple... EVERYTHING. Let's talk hypotheticals for a moment. Duncan announces his retirement right before the draft. This changes everything. The Spurs now have to make a choice. 1) Offer Marc Gasol or Lamarcus Aldridge and hope they accept. 2) Draft a big with the 26th pick. Or 3) Trade up. Either Gasol or LA would be a huge get for the Spurs but they are 30 and 29 respectively, meaning, they have 4-7 years of great basketball left in them. This means the Spurs should probably look for a young prospect that will pan out when LA or Gasol is gone. The Spurs success has been centered around a big so why not build there? Harrell, Hernangomez, McCullough, and Wood are four bigs that are projected to go in the late first round that the Spurs could mold into a nice piece for the future. However....
Tony Parker thinks both Ginobili and Duncan will return for one last season. That is great news for Spurs fans for a few reasons. First, they'll both take pay cuts in order to win one last big one. This pay cut will allow the Spurs to still aquire either Gasol or LA. Could you imagine Duncan and Gasol down low? This would also negate the need to draft a big. Now, with Marco and Green being FAs and Green eyeing New York for big money, this leaves a huge gap at the 2. Sure, there is Ginobili but he has been best when coming off of the bench. So here is what the Spurs SHOULD do.... Trade up! The Denver Nuggets are currently the 7th pick as of this writing. The Nuggets needed a scoring wing last year desperately. Enter Patty Mills. Patty is a highlight waiting to happen and provides scoring at an alarming rate. Not only would he help the Nuggets, but this would bring excitement and sell tickets in Denver. Now obviously Patty alone isn't worth the 7th overall pick in this year's draft so... Add Splitter, your 26th pick and some cash and you have yourself a 7th overall pick.
What do you do with this pick is the question. The Spurs would then go on to select Mario Hezonja... WHO??? The 20 year old, FOREIGN, 2 guard from FC Barcelona. At 6 foot 8 inches, the young prospect has been shooting up draft boards and appears to now be a top shooting guard in this year's draft. Hezonja would provide length and scoring immediately. Never seen him play?
Now all of this is pure speculation and so many variables are ahead for the Spurs. In all likelihood, the Spurs will choose some foreign guy that nobody has ever heard of and will squeeze a diamond out of coal. Regardless, bank on the Spurs coming out of this Draft with someone that will perfectly fit the San Antonio way and will become a name that people recognize for solid play.