Last night the NBA held the first round of the 2025 draft and the Spurs walked away with Dylan Harper as the second overall pick in the draft and Carter Bryant with the fourteenth pick.
At the end of the night when the first round completed, Spurs General Manager Brian Wright stepped out of the war room to take some questions.
The Spurs had two lottery picks this year and despite conversations circling that they may trade one or both in pursuit of a bonafide star, they chose to retain and utilize both picks last night.
“This time of the year you haver to go through a process, you have to answer the phone, but I think early on we knew what we wanted to do and the potential of the player (in the number two pick). We listened to things as they came in but we were pretty locked in.”
The Spurs had made their intention to draft Harper clear, but their desire to acquire Bryant was kept a little closer to their chest.
“We had Carter pretty high on our board and had actually tried to make some moves to potentially go and get him, so to get him at fourteen was a pleasant surprise for us. I think he’s super versatile. He’s a big wing who we think can guard four positions. He spaces the floor well. He’s a really good athlete. He’s a smart young kid and I think he’s got the right character and makeup that we look for, so I think we’re excited he was there and a little surprised; but he adds a new dimension going forward.”
The Spurs were scheduled to draft the 38th spot tomorrow in the second round, but earlier in the night it was announced that traded that pick to the Indiana Pacers for a future second round pick and cash considerations.
“We weight each thing and try to project forward. Sometimes it makes sense to make decisions early, and you can always adjust and react accordingly as needed.”
The Spurs still have a need for a backup center. When asked if one was considered through the draft or if the Spurs were waiting for free agency, Wright responded,
“We don’t ever approach the draft just trying to fill a need. There a re a lot of ways to build your team out. The draft is a chance you get to add someone who can fit long term. You want to take the long term talent and figure the roster out in terms of immediate fit.”
When asked specifically about what the Spurs liked about Dylan Harper, he stated,
“He’s got a rare confidence with humility. He’s a very down-to-earth, simple kid, loves basketball, and after spending time with him throughout the process you can tell that he knows he’s a good basketball player. But he wants to be part of a group, he wants to be part of a team, he’s willing to sacrifice, he’s willing to work for it. And the more we spent time with him the more we felt confident in that.”
Last year, the Spurs took Stephon Castle whose father played alongside Tim Duncan at Wake Forest. This year, Dylan Harper, son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, was chosen. When asked if having family who played the sport made a difference, Wright replied,
“You know what’s great — the first time they are hearing a tough message or the truth about basketball, it is not from us, or coming from a coach, it’s coming from home. How hard you have to work, what it takes to be great, what it means to sacrifice and be part of something great. They get that. So we’re reinforcing something they’ve been taught versus we’re trying to teach them something for the first time.”
Wright and the team felt good about the way the evening panned out.
“It was good…excited with the outcome. I think we got two great young players to add to the group going forward.”
When pressed about the future, Wright maintained that the draft was one facet of the greater picture.
“I think what we try to do is put one foot in front of the other, stay head down, and hopefully we look up one day and we’re right where we want to be. But we don’t put the cart in front of the horse. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the coming months, in the coming years, but our hope and goal is to be there as soon as we can be.”
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson welcomes Dylan Harper to the San Antonio Spurs.
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