Let’s revisit the time the Spurs almost made a major draft blunder

It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that on June 22 at
around 8:10 p.m., or so, Eastern Time, the San Antonio Spurs will announce that
they are taking Victor Wembanyama as the first player in the NBA draft. 

The
French Phenom is considered a generational talent that some have even compared
to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While Wembanyama is an easy choice, the Spurs have a very
good track record of making smart draft moves, often finding under-the-radar
players, especially from foreign countries. 

And when they’ve had the top pick,
they struck gold: David Robinson in 1987 and Tim Duncan a decade later.

And although the Spurs have fallen on tough times in recent
years, the organization is routinely considered one of the best run in all of
sports. But, if things had gone another way, it’s possible the team’s
reputation would’ve taken a hit it might still be recovering from.

The infamous 2007 draft

There are certain NBA drafts that live in infamy, and two of
them involve the Portland Trail Blazers. While the Jordan draft of 1984 is
perhaps the most notorious, from the standpoint of the Blazers, the one in 2007
may be just as bad.

That’s when they picked Greg Oden first overall, who, due to
extensive injuries, only played a total of 82 games over the three years he was
on the team. The second player selected in that draft? Kevin Durant, who just finished his 16th season and will be headed to the Hall of Fame when he’s done.

How the Spurs nearly changed NBA history

In 2007, the Spurs were coming off a championship season, their fourth in nine years. And although their star player Tim Duncan had yet another great season, apparently there was some thought in the organization that his best days were behind him. He was 33 at the time, and although very durable, did have some knee issues. It’s pretty ironic, then, that there were reports that the Spurs proposed trading Duncan to the Blazers so they could draft Greg Oden, which the Blazers turned
down.

What would this move have meant for the Spurs?

While there may not have been a premature celebration welcoming him to town, chances are pretty good that San Antonio wouldn’t have provided any sort of elixir for Greg Oden, and his balky knees would’ve suffered the same fate in Texas. And even with a good supporting cast, the team almost certainly wouldn’t have had the success it did with Duncan. It’s also very possible that this ill-fated trade would have resulted in somebody — and perhaps many somebodies — losing his or her job, which could’ve had long-term repercussions for the team.

What would this move have meant for the Blazers?

Clearly, Duncan wasn’t done after the 2007-08 season, as
he played another nine years, resulting in several deep playoff runs, two Western
Conference championships and an NBA title. Would all of this have occurred in
Portland? Maybe, maybe not. But imagine what the Blazers could’ve done after combining
even an older Duncan with LaMarcus Aldridge, C.J. McCollum and a kid named Damian
Lillard.

While this little NBA footnote provides some fun speculation, it may also prove to be a warning to the Spurs (and any other team) about what can happen when you make a franchise-altering move, especially if it involves somebody with bad knees.