The first round of the NBA Draft didn’t have many surprises during the first half, but it was the second half that was full of trades. One of those trades happened to be toward the end of the round, when the Denver Nuggets traded the No. 26 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 35 pick and two future second-round picks.
The Spurs were able to acquire the draft rights to Tarris Reed Jr. with the No. 26 pick. Everyone will keep their eyes on the Nuggets to see who they pick at the 35th selection.
For now, here are some trade grades for both teams.
Nuggets get a goal accomplished
Coming into the draft, there was an expectation that the Nuggets were going to try to make a trade as they plan to do some configuration with their team. The reason for that configuration is to clear some cap space this offseason so they could extend Peyton Watson, who they value a lot on the team.
It’s going to take more than a draft-day trade to open up that cap space, especially since they didn’t attach a player on the roster to the deal, but anything can happen in the second round. The Nuggets were also able to get two second-round picks, and they can use those in a future trade as well. It will be interesting to see who they decide to pick at No. 35, which is when you can get a real glimpse of how this trade went.
Nuggets trade grade: B
Spurs add center depth behind Victor Wembanyama
The Spurs acquired the rights to Reed in the trade, and he’s a player who will bolster the center depth behind Wembanyama. Reed is more of a traditional center who can rebound and defend the interior, but he isn’t one who can step out on the perimeter and knock down shots.
It’s obvious the Spurs had a goal of grabbing as much frontcourt depth as possible, as they drafted Jayden Quaintance with the No. 20 pick.
Spurs trade grade: B
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