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

It’s a foregone conclusion that on June 22 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 who 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 Michael 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 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, he 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 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 possible that this ill-fated trade would have resulted in somebody — and perhaps many somebodies — losing his 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.