The San Antonio Spurs have a chance to supercharge their rebuild with two picks in the lottery. While pick number two could end up being a valuable trade chip or become Dylan Harper, pick number 14 remains up for debate.
While they could theoretically offer up number 14 in a trade as well, one analyst wants the Spurs to find a reliable backup for Victor Wembanyama with the pick, and there is a perfect candidate he believes they can find in the 2025 NBA Draft.
San Antonio Spurs Could Target Backup Center in the 2025 NBA Draft
Despite a large section of rumors circulating around the Spurs potentially joining the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, not everyone is swept up in the hype. Gary Parrish of CBS Sports still views Dylan Harper as the man San Antonio adds with the second overall pick.
But for the 14th pick, in his post-lottery mock draft, Parrish has them selecting Derik Queen out of Maryland. “Queen is a super-interesting forward who offsets some of his physical limitations with skill and smarts.”
For all the bells and whistles around him, Queen raised his stock to a potential lottery pick through his work in the NCAA Tournament. “He hit the buzzer-beater against Colorado State that sent Maryland to the Sweet 16, scored 27 against the eventual national champion (Florida), and solidified himself in the NCAA Tournament as an intriguing lottery option.”
For the Terrapins, he averaged 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game, emerging as one of the better big men in the entire class. But, Sterling Xie of PFSN was even more impressed with what he saw out of Queen, pushing him to the eighth overall pick slot.
With Nic Claxton potentially on the move, he believes Queen could become the long-term center for the Brooklyn Nets, while also giving Cam Thomas a genuine offensive punch alongside him.
For the Spurs, though, the first mock draft post-lottery from Xie has San Antonio going back to familiar country at pick 14 by selecting Nolan Traore from France. A 6-foot-4 playmaker, he will need some time to develop.
However, he remains an offensive concern, with shooting percentages of just 37% from the field and under 27% from distance. That production would most definitely not work in the NBA, especially alongside other below-average shooters in Fox and Castle.
With a logjam at the guard spot already, irrespective of the decision for Harper, adding another guard to the squad wouldn’t make any sense for San Antonio. As a result, Queen fares as the much better option for the Spurs, given their current roster construction.
