The Spurs reaffirmed their commitment to the long view on draft night

The Spurs had an interesting draft night. With the fourth overall pick, they selected Stephon Castle, an intriguing prospect who brings elite defense but is not a proven shooter, which is arguably what San Antonio needed most. Then, they traded the eighth pick to Minnesota for a protected 2030 pick swap and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

It’s not the draft fans of speeding up the rebuild were hoping for, but it’s a draft that gives the Spurs the tools to potentially build a sustainable winner. Patience appears to be the front office’s greatest virtue and while no strategy guarantees good results, San Antonio’s has enough safeguards that a complete fail seems impossible.

No one is surprised to see Castle selected fourth, but it’s understandable to have some worries about his fit. He wants to be a point guard, like he was before college, but doesn’t have traditional lead guard skills yet. More concerning, while his shot doesn’t seem broken, at this point he’s not an outside threat. The Spurs have experience developing defensive-minded big guards into well-rounded offensive players after doing it with Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, but those two took years to get reliable jumpers and by the time they had them they were not wearing Silver and Black anymore. At the team level, the biggest concern is whether Castle and Jeremy Sochan can even coexist due to their limitations as shooters. Castle could turn out to be a bigger Jrue Holiday, as ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said during the draft broadcast, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom Castle compared himself to, but it will almost certainly take time for him to get there.

The upside is worth the wait. Castle is a monster defensively, the type of perimeter player that sets the tone on that end and makes a rim protector’s job easier. Murray, White and Holiday are all good comparisons for what he could bring, as is any other elite guard defender. He’s good enough on defense and as a connective piece that even if he never becomes a primary shot-creator, he’ll bring enough to the table at either guard spot. The shot is a real issue, but every player in this draft had some question marks and there’s no reason to believe Castle can’t start by hitting corner shots and then expand his arsenal. The intangibles are also there since Castle was happy to play any role needed of him to win an NCAA Championship with UConn. He’s a hard worker who has no problem sacrificing but has the confidence to lead. Even if it takes him a while to show his worth, there’s a good chance he’ll succeed.

Castle is a good pick. The other decision the Spurs made on draft night is the really controversial one. There’s prioritizing the long view and then there’s trading the eighth selection for picks so far in the future that Victor Wembanyama will be in his mid-20s when they can be used. The visceral reaction to seeing a team that clearly needs talent now to avoid another uninspiring season punt on the possibility to add some is not going to be positive. But just like picking Castle despite his current limitations, it’s a smart play that could pay off hugely.

Let’s break down the details of the impact the move has this offseason. San Antonio traded the eighth pick on what experts universally called a weak draft into an unrestricted 2031 pick and a pick swap in 2030. By doing that they immediately created around $6 million in cap space to use in free agency by removing the cap hold of the eighth pick. It’s possible and even likely that cap room comes in handy when trying to target a veteran or two to plug in the holes. The Spurs will now also have another roster spot as well that they can use to take a flyer on someone or bring immediate help. Normally a rebuilding team would covet youth and upside over everything, but San Antonio has six players 21 or under on guaranteed contracts, counting Castle, so the developmental staff will have its hands full. The trade is about the future, but it also helps the team now.

As for the return, it’s better than it appears, for several reasons. First, the Spurs should have Victor Wembanyama locked up in the middle of his second contract in 2030 but Anthony Edwards will be an unrestricted free agent after 2029/30. Rudy Gobert is 32 and Karl-Anthony Towns is 28. Minnesota is not a free agent destination and they owe all their future picks to Utah. Rob Dillingham is a dynamic scorer and playmaker, but his height could make him a target on defense. No one can predict the future, but it seems sensible to assume the Timberwolves might not be good in six years, which would make the swap and the pick extremely valuable. And the Spurs have their picks along with two incoming Hawks picks and a few swaps set up in the near future, so they won’t be devoid of opportunities to add young talent until then.

The Spurs are thinking in terms of decades, which is something only a brain trust that has complete backing from ownership can do. It can be frustrating to deal with for fans who understandably want quick improvement but the type of vision and patience the front office is showing could allow them to create a perennial contender that keeps its core together despite the limitations of luxury taxes and second aprons by adding young, cheap talent through the draft well into Wembanyama’s prime. Or by accumulating assets, they can wait until the right superstar partner for Wemby becomes available and outbid all others.

Soon enough, the decision-makers in San Antonio will need to produce results. If Castle is not a hit, someone picked after the eighth pick turns into a star and the rest of the offseason fails to create progress, the scrutiny should and will increase. For now, with only the information we have on draft day, it’s hard to be angry at a front office that seems to be avoiding the myopia that often dooms rebuilding franchises.