How Far Away Are Spurs From Reaching Playoffs Again?

The Spurs missed the NBA playoffs for the third straight season, but a return to the playoffs could be right around the corner.

The course of the future for the San Antonio Spurs changed drastically during the 2017 playoffs. Many thought the front office had successfully transitioned from the “Big 3” era of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker to an exciting new future led by Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and several key role players.

When Kawhi Leonard suffered a career-altering ankle injury during Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, any talk of the Spurs returning to the NBA Finals stopped immediately, and has not returned since then.

The following summer, Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors along with Danny Green for Demar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and draft selections. Leonard and Green went on to win the 2018 NBA Finals and the Spurs have been trying to find their way since. 

The DeRozan-Aldridge duo made it to the playoffs twice but experienced first-round exits both times. Aldridge and the Spurs agreed to a buyout during the 2021 season, and DeRozan was traded to the Chicago Bulls during last season’s summer free agency period.

The Spurs have fully embraced a rebuilding period, finishing with the 10th best record in the Western Conference for the past two seasons. Although some believe that the Spurs could still be “far off” from a playoff berth, they could end up reaching a playoff berth faster than expected.

The Spurs are currently solidifying their young core, centered around All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray, who has excelled as both a stat-stuffer and a leader as his career has progressed. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson also took big steps in their careers last season with the expectation of further development. 

The Spurs have three first-round picks in the upcoming NBA draft, giving them the flexibility that other teams rarely have. They could try and trade all of them for a star player to pair with Murray, use each of them on more developmental pieces, or trade some of them for better draft board positioning. 

Whatever the Spurs decide to do in the NBA Draft, paired with good development from their young core, could mean a playoff berth sooner rather than later, and real soon at that.