1. San Antonio Spurs
This is uncharted territory for the San Antonio Spurs. They are currently in the midst of the longest playoff drought in franchise history having not qualified for three straight seasons. But, if things go according to plan, San Antonio will make it four this season.
The Spurs traded away All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray this offseason. They sent him to the Atlanta Hawks for Danilo Gallinari, who was released shortly after, three unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap. That transaction made the Spurs’ plans for the upcoming season crystal clear; they are coming for a top pick.
This is actually how the Gregg Popovich era in San Antonio began. The team was without David Robinson, who played in only six games during the 1996-97 season. He missed the first 18 games of the season because of a back injury, in which the team went 3-15, leading to Bob Hill being fired.
Popovich took his spot but didn’t have Robinson for long as he broke his foot. That led to the team going 20-62, but resulted in them landing Tim Duncan in the 1997 NBA Draft. The rest is history as the Spurs were one of the most dominant teams in the league for the next two decades.
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS & RUMORS: Updates On San Antonio Spurs & Top Picks
They could be looking to repeat history with Popovich nearing the end of the line as head coach of the team. The Spurs only have three players on the roster who are 28 years of age or older; Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott and Gorgui Dieng.
Richardson and McDermott have been mentioned in trade rumors, so there is a chance, not a single player in the rotation for San Antonio this season is over the age of 26 right now.
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS & RUMORS: Updates On San Antonio Spurs & Top Picks
In what will almost certainly be a development season, the San Antonio Spurs have gone all-in on positioning themselves for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
