Spurs Targeting Amen, Ausar Thompson in NBA Draft Night Trade?
The San Antonio Spurs have their sights set on Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick, but there's potential for the team to add more top talent during Thursday's NBA Draft.
According to The Ringer, the Spurs are looking to trade back into the lottery.
"There are rumblings that the Spurs are exploring trades for a second lottery pick. I’m not sure how high they are trying to get, but rival executives speculate that they’re targeting one of the Thompson twins or Wembanyama’s own teammate, Bilal Coulibaly," The Ringer writes.
Considering the fact that the Thompson twins are both projected to be selected in the top-10 and as high as No. 3 to the Portland Trail Blazers, a trade for one of them would be a big swing for the Spurs. However, it could pay off in a huge way.
The saying "two is better than one" could not be more true for the Thompson twins.
Coming from Overtime Elite — a fairly new, Atlanta-based professional league — both Amen and Ausar put up stats that hadn't been seen before from a pair of brothers in a long time.
Together, the Thompson twins led the City Reapers to a championship in the league's second season, both establishing themselves as the best prospects of the pool of players.
Before this season, only Spurs forward Dominick Barlow has gone on to play in the NBA following a season with OTE, who got a chance to develop under coach Gregg Popovich this year. Now, both twins are set to become the second and third OTE players to do so.
The Thompsons will likely be the fourth pair of twins to go in the same round of the NBA draft, but first in the top-10, but despite being up against big names like Wembanyama and Henderson, neither brother has lost his confidence.
"They always bring up those names," Amen said. "'How you going to pass Victor and Scoot, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,' And it's just like, I'm going to do my thing. I'm going to run my race. And I think if I run my race, I'm one of the best players there is."
While both Amen and Ausar have the same build, their skillsets are different in nature, as each would provide differently to their respective twins.
Ausar was the brother who seemed to receive more recognition within OTE, being named the league's back-to-back Finals MVP and regular season MVP last season. His shot improvements show promise for a team in need of shooting, and his off-ball movements make him dangerous for any defender to guard.
Amen is a stronger passer, more explosive in nature and a stronger on-ball guard, but his defending ability stands as a weaker area of his game — where Ausar also excels.
And despite being questioned regarding the level of talent found at OTE, both twins are happy with their decision to play there rather than college, citing the NCAA coaches' lack of player development that they felt was a priority on the City Reapers.
Ultimately, the cost of trading for a Thompson twin may be a lot for the Spurs, but if a team was willing to take on Doug McDermott or Zach Collins along with a future protected first or a boatload of second-round picks, San Antonio should be willing to pull the trigger.
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