There were plenty of questions going into the Spurs offseason, most of them surrounded by two players: LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan. DeMar had a player option that he recently opt-into. This means now Aldridge and DeRozan both have expiring contracts next year. This was speculation enough that one or both could be traded before or on Draft Night. Neither was traded and the Spurs stood pat on their picks. What is the San Antonio Spurs Draft Grade for the 2020 NBA Draft?
Grade: B+
This is not an A for a couple of reasons. One, The Spurs did not embrace the rebuild quite yet and trade DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge in this draft or before the draft for draft picks or players. Two, the Spurs haven’t addressed the need for PF/C depth. It could be that the Spurs are embracing the modern NBA with a stretch 4 and only one big man. We saw a little of that in the Orlando Bubble, but even then, they did not get a 4. That kind of rubs me the wrong way.
However, I still think the Spurs drafted well, hence my B+ grade. They got a 3 and D guy to play at the 3 in the first round at 11th named Devin Vassell. They also got Tre Jones in the 2nd round at 41, Tre Jones was a great value pick and Vassell went around where he was supposed to go. The Spurs are now set at 1-3 with these additions.
At PG, the Spurs have Dejounte Murray and Tre Jones. For SG, the Spurs have Derrick White and Lonnie Walker IV. At SF, the Spurs have Keldon Johnson and now Devin Vassell. This young core has tons of potential to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. Having these 6 players almost rules out any possibility of having DeMar DeRozan as a long term option for the Spurs. They will most likely trade him this offseason, during the season, or let his contract expire next season.
With these 6 players for 1-3, I would have to guess that the Spurs will draft the big depth in Free Agency. I can’t see LaMarcus Aldridge re-signing here next year if and when the Spurs ask him to take a huge pay cut. It’s time for the Spurs to embrace the future, and I’m ecstatic about it. This is a good start for the Spurs as the Spurs Draft Grade is a B+ for me.
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