Spurs trying to pull off NBA Draft shocker?

Feb 8, 2020; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich on the sideline against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

After getting overshadowed in their own state by the NBA Finals run of the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs may be trying to snatch back the headlines in a big way.

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote Saturday on Substack that there are rumblings that “haven’t gone away” about the Spurs potentially trading up to the No. 1 pick in next week’s NBA Draft. Stein further implies that San Antonio would have strong interest in selecting seven-footer Alexandre “Alex” Sarr in that scenario.

Sarr, a long and athletic 19-year-old who played last season for the Perth Wildcats in Australia, is not expected to make it past the first two or three picks of the draft. That is a problem for the Spurs, who have the No. 4 pick in the draft right now, and probably explains why they are eyeing a trade-up.

San Antonio already had the No. 1 overall pick last year, selecting the super-sensation Victor Wembanyama. Now pairing Wembanyama with the fellow seven-footer Sarr would be especially whetting to the appetite, especially since Sarr is a fellow French native who also has the foot speed and the budding jump shot to play at either big man position.

On top of that, Sarr recently went viral for his very complementary comments about Wembanyama.

Alex Sarr says Victor Wembanyama is better than Rudy Gobert, Chet Holmgren & Draymond Green

(via @BleacherReport / TT)pic.twitter.com/QCYsvsIDYg

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 22, 2024

A Spurs trade-up would obviously require cooperation from the current top-pick holder, the Atlanta Hawks. But the two sides have already collaborated before (including on the major Dejounte Murray trade in 2022), so the lines of communication have been established. If San Antonio doesn’t manage to pull off their Wemby-Sarr dream though, there is at least another intriguing possibility for them in the draft.