Where the San Antonio Spurs Could Go with No. 2 and No. 14 Picks in 2025 NBA Draft

A new era is here for the San Antonio Spurs. With longtime head coach, Gregg Popovich, stepping down and former Stanford Cardinal star Mitch Johnson taking over, the Spurs are officially ready for a new chapter.

On Monday, the NBA conducted its annual draft lottery to determine the draft order for the 2025 draft. And the Spurs ended up with an abundance of riches to work with, getting the No. 2 and No. 14 overall picks. The No. 14 pick is from the Atlanta Hawks.

Getting the second pick is huge, considering many predictions had the Spurs picking just outside the top five. But with the second overall pick, the Spurs will be able to land a top star, adding to their growing crop of young talent that includes back-to-back Rookies of the Year in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.

The Dallas Mavericks, whose season was largely defined by their trade of Luka Dončić back in February, will pick first and are expected to select Cooper Flagg out of Duke.

When it comes to who the Spurs could take with the second pick, there are a few ways they could go there. The overwhelming projection is that they will take guard Dylan Harper out of Rutgers, a pick that would make a lot of sense.

At 40 years old, Chris Paul's career is on a year-by-year basis at this point, and assuming the Spurs do not bring him back or he retires, Harper could be the ideal plug and play.

Johnson, a former guard during his playing days, could look for another big time playmaker to pair with Castle and Wembanyama. In his lone college season, Harper averaged 19.4 points and proved all season long that he is capable of being a star player. Other options that Johnson and the Spurs could consider are Ace Bailey, also from Rutgers, and VJ Edgecombe from Baylor.

But when it comes to the 14th pick, the Spurs could look to favor more defense. Ranked No. 23 in scoring defense, the Spurs were one of the worst defensive teams overall in the NBA this season, especially after Wembanyama went down in January with a shoulder injury.

Players such as Carter Bryant from Arizona and French international prospect Noa Essengue have been some names thrown around as possible options at No. 14.

Whatever the Spurs do, they need to make sure that this draft is a good one. With a young core that is starting to establish itself, adding pieces that fit is most important. Some players may seem like the right player at the time, but their play styles may not fit the current mold of the team.

Wembanyama, one of the most highly anticipated prospects in recent memory, is the clear cut centerpiece, but with stars around him that all fit together.

The Spurs have not been to the playoffs since 2019 and have been in rebuild mode ever since. But now is the time for them to begin competing, and with Johnson's elite basketball IQ combined with the young star power of the team, a good draft by the Spurs could catapult them back into title contention as early as next season.