Gervin shares why the Spurs shouldn't trade their two picks for a star player: "You build a young core up"
Like the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs were lucky to move up in the 2025 NBA Draft after getting good luck in the Draft Lottery. While the Mavs moved an incredible 11 spots from No.11 to No.1, the Spurs went up six notches from No.8 to No.2.
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By getting the 2nd pick, San Antonio now owns the No.2 and No.14 picks in the upcoming Draft. Because of this, some analysts are suggesting that the Spurs package the picks to trade for an established superstar who will turn them into contenders next season.
However, Hall of Famer George Gervin, who once played for the Silver & Black, thinks that if the franchise wants to contend for a title for a long time, they need to build their core from the ground up.
"You build it. You build a young core up, I think that's important. And then you have something you can build for a while. We already got five championships, so if you want some more, and you want more than one, then you got to build a solid foundation and grow from there. They got a good nucleus. They got a real good nucleus with Fox coming in, Wemby. They got a really good nucleus to put something together," said Gervin.
It's a new NBA era now
The Spurs finished 13th in the Western Conference team standings last season with a 34-48 record. Despite that, San Antonio already has a very good young core composed of Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, plus a veteran Harrison Barnes. Some believe that if the team added an established superstar, they would be a playoff team next season.
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Before the lottery, there were talks that the Spurs might package Castle and their two first-round picks to get that superstar. However, after one of the picks became the No.2 pick, San Antonio now has an opportunity to add Rutgers prospect Dylan Harper, who averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game for the Scarlet Knights last season.
With young teams in the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers squaring off in the 2025 NBA Finals, Gervin thinks the current NBA era is over and the new one has arrived. Because of that, the Spurs should join the revolution.
"Hey, y'all know just like I know. The old era is gone. No LeBron, no Steph. It's a wrap. They got the young fellas now. So everybody gonna be an ex-player one day," added the Iceman.
Related: "I don't think I should defend myself anymore, I'm done with that in my life" - Allen Iverson on why he's had enough trying to defend his public image
Building something sustainable
If we listen to the grapevine, there are conflicting rumors about what the Spurs intend to do with their first-round picks. ESPN's Shams Charania continues to insist that San Antonio is one of Kevin Durant's preferred landing spots. Meanwhile, Brandon Scoop Robinson recently said that SA is leaning towards keeping the pick. In line with Gervin's statement, they want to build for the future and are not in a must-win now mode.
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"Despite speculation linking Kevin Durant to various Western Conference teams," Robinson wrote. "League sources tell me the Spurs are not pursuing the former MVP. 'San Antonio's not in on KD,' a source familiar with the team's thinking told me. 'They have concerns about how many years he has left in the tank, and the focus is on building something sustainable around Wemby.'"
Make no mistake. KD is still an outstanding basketball player right now. He would certainly make the current Spurs team much better and turn them into a playoff contender. However, imagine Wemby growing up with Fox, Bailey, and Castle. Barring any unfortunate injuries, that core is going to be formidable in the next five years.
Related: Gervin admits Durant is the only player in the NBA somewhat similar to him: "He was just probably as accurate as me"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
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