Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, May 11, 2024: San Antonio Looking for Luck as Draft Lottery Looms

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft & more.

Matt Guzman

May 16, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum (right) congratulates San Antonio Spurs owner Peter J. Holt.
May 16, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum (right) congratulates San Antonio Spurs owner Peter J. Holt. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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Happy Saturday, Por Vida fans. Welcome to your afternoon Spurs Starter.

There remains one day between now and the San Antonio Spurs learning where they'll be picking in the 2024 NBA Draft. Sure, there isn't a Victor Wembayama-type prospect this time around, but it might be worth noting that Tony Parker was the 28th overall pick in 2001 and Manu Ginobili wasn't even a first-round prospect when he was selected by the Spurs in 1999.

The Spurs could very well find some talent to add to their roster as they continue to build around Victor Wembanyama, if they choose to go that route. If not, they have trade tokens to give to another team looking to deal its star. But only time will tell which method San Antonio uses.

For now, here are some headlines:

THE NEWS

1. READ: SPURS' POTENTIAL OFFSEASON TARGETS

While the San Antonio Spurs contemplate their future centered on Victor Wembanyama, there are certainly some big names that they could explore bringing on in free agency.

Check out the full list above.

2. LOOK: SPURS FANS TAKE AIM AT WHATABURGER ONLINE

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing, and with it comes the unwavering support from local and national chains alike for their teams of choice. Whataburger, despite having a location inside Frost Bank Center, decided to join in on the fun, posting on X, formerly Twitter, about its support of the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder, which Spurs fans didn't take kindly to.

Check out the story via the Houston Chronicle above and the original tweet below:

3. READ: JEREMY SOCHAN CONFIDENT IN SPURS' OFFSEASON DIRECTION

As the San Antonio Spurs look ahead to the offseason, they'll have a few things to address, but despite some struggles they faced this season, Jeremy Sochan is completely optimistic about the future of the franchise.

Read the full story above.

THE DRAFT

The 2024 NBA Draft is 46 days away, and set to take place over the course of two days — a new format — from Wednesday, June 26 to Thursday, June 27.

According to The Ringer's big board, San Antonio is projected to select UConn's Donovan Clingan with the No. 6 overall pick to headline its 2024 draft class, and Marquette's Tyler Kolek with the No. 33 overall pick.

The NBA Draft Lottery, on the other hand, is tomorrow in Chicago. The Spurs have a 10.5 percent chance to win the No. 1 overall pick, but the highest odds to land pick No. 7 with a 26.7 percent chance.

You can tune into ESPN at 2 p.m. CST to watch full coverage of the lottery — where San Antonio won the right to draft Victor Wembanyama just one season ago.

THE PLAYOFFS

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and company might not be suiting up this postseason, but here are how the rest of the NBA Playoffs are shaking out so far:

West: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #5 Dallas Mavericks

Game 3 between the NBA's second-youngest team and the Luka-Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks is set for Saturday afternoon. Josh Giddey has been of littlest help for the Oklahoma City Thunder, posting a minus-27 over the two games already played despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's strong play. Doncic continued his consistent scoring in Game 2, posting a team-high 29 points en route to Dallas' revenge win after being blown out in Game 1. Series tied 1-1.

West: #3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. #2 Denver Nuggets

After being beat down twice in a row by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray led the way in what Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone called his team's "best performance" as it dismantled the Timberwolves on the road to avoid going down 3-0. Now, Game 4 looms in Minnesota with plenty at stake. MIN leads 2-1

East: #2 New York Knicks vs. #6 Indiana Pacers

A late-game miss from Jalen Brunson with the game on the line all-but officially sealed the New York Knicks' fate on the road against the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton's 35 points led the way for the East's No. 6 seed as it stole a game to keep it competitive with Game 4 on the horizon. NYK leads 2-1.

May 10, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) passes the ball during Game 3 against the New York Knicks.
May 10, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) passes the ball during Game 3 against the New York Knicks. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

East: #1 Boston Celtics vs. #4 Cleveland Cavaliers

After taking a commanding victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1, the Boston Celtics seemed to have it all figured out against their second-round opponent. Game 2 told a different story, however, as Donovan Mitchell dropped 29 points in an all-around effort that saw six Cavaliers notch double digits. Cleveland handed Boston its biggest loss of the postseason so far and now both teams look to take a 2-1 lead in Game 3. Series tied 1-1.

THE CLOSER

Make sure to check out our homepage for more news, and follow us on the platforms below. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your Wednesday.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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