Underneath a table on the practice court at Victory Capital Performance Center on Saturday morning, two crisp new white jerseys sat folded and waiting for the fourth and 48th overall selections in the 2024 NBA draft. There was not a jersey for the No. 8 pick. But there could have been one. And there almost was. Three nights earlier, in a room not far from that practice court, all the members of the Spurs’ brain trust sat around a different table and came to a consensus.
That’s the method to the madness here. In the years to come, that 2031 pick only will appreciate in value. Had they taken a used the No. 8 pick on the wrong guy in an underwhelming draft, there’s a good chance the market for that player would never have been higher than it was Wednesday. So the Spurs jumped at the chance to accept Minnesota’s offer, viewing the distant timing of the pick as a positive.