NBA Insiders Believe Spurs Will Keep Draft Pick, Take Dylan Harper Amid Giannis Buzz
If the San Antonio Spurs attempt to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, their offer would be unlikely to include the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Per NBA insider Jake Fischer, rival teams believe the Spurs will keep their pick and use it to add Dylan Harper to fill out the top of their roster with Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.
As soon as the Spurs received the No. 2 pick in the draft lottery, they were being linked to Antetokounmpo in trade rumors.
San Antonio has the ability to put together a package of future picks that could be very enticing to a Milwaukee Bucks team that is severely lacking in long-term draft assets.
In addition to their own future picks, the Spurs own an unprotected 2027 first-round selection from the Atlanta Hawks, possible swap rights with the Hawks in 2026, 2030 swap rights with either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves and swap rights with the Sacramento Kings in 2031.
Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Spurs and Houston Rockets are the two teams that would check every box to executive a potential deal for Antetokounmpo.
Of course, it's still unclear if Antetokounmpo will even be available. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on May 12 that the two-time NBA MVP is "open-minded" about exploring his options this summer, but he has made no firm decisions at this point.
Another potential wrinkle in the situation is the Spurs haven't operated like they want to dramatically accelerate their timeline with Wembanyama in the fold, at least not yet.
The Fox trade with the Kings and Chicago Bulls was such a low-risk deal for the Spurs that there was no reason not to do it. They gave up a 2027 first-round draft pick to Sacramento, gave the Bulls back their 2025 first-rounder and four bench players.
Trading for Antetokounmpo not only accelerates the Spurs' timeline because he will turn 31 years old on Dec. 6, but it also muddies up their salary cap. Antetokounmpo is set to earn $54.1 million next season and Fox will make $34.8 million.
Fox is also eligible to sign a four-year, $229 million extension this summer. Wembanyama will be eligible for a five-year, $271 million extension next summer.
Given the difficulties some teams have had navigating with expensive rosters in the second-apron era, muddying up the salary cap with three max players at the same time may not be something the Spurs are eager to do.
Harper, who B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has compared to Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham, would line up better with Wembanyama's timeline given that he is only 19 years old coming into the NBA.
There's always a risk with any prospect, even one as highly-regarded as Harper, not panning out. But the Spurs' best path to building a sustainable roster around Wembanyama could require them to trust their developmental staff with younger players.
Harper would be a terrific addition to this version of the Spurs roster if that's the direction they decide to go in the draft. He averaged 19.4 points on 48.4 percent shooting, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in 29 games at Rutgers last season.
