Denver is trading No. 26 to the San Antonio Spurs for No. 35 and two future second round picks, sources said. The Spurs pick Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26.
Getty
India's 7'4" Sensation Has Spurs Fans Making Bold Wembanyama Claims
The 2026 NBA Finals just ended, and San Antonio is already making moves. Fresh off a tough five-game loss to the Knicks, the Spurs wasted no time getting back to work on draft night.
One of those moves turned some heads. Instead of sitting at No. 35 in the second round, San Antonio traded up into the first round and landed themselves a real interior presence.
Per Shams Charania, the Spurs moved up from pick No. 35 to No. 26, acquiring Tarris Reed Jr. from the Denver Nuggets. Denver received the 35th pick, a 2028 second-round pick via Minnesota, and a 2031 second-rounder via Sacramento.
Denver is trading No. 26 to the San Antonio Spurs for No. 35 and two future second round picks, sources said. The Spurs pick Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26.
Reed is a 6-foot-10, 260-pound center out of UConn who averaged 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game as a senior, shooting 61 percent from the field. Those are not backup numbers. That is the production of someone ready to contribute right away.
Reed started his college career at Michigan before transferring to UConn, where he won Big East Sixth Man of the Year as a junior. His senior year, he became a full-time starter and earned All-Big East First Team honors, along with NCAA East Region Most Outstanding Player after a dominant tournament run.
He is a traditional center: blocks shots, dominates the glass, and finishes hard around the rim. He does not shoot threes, and guarding out to the perimeter is still a work in progress. But that is not why San Antonio wanted him.
In the Finals, Victor Wembanyama played 44 minutes in Game 4 alone, with primary backup Luke Kornet logging just four minutes. The Spurs had no one reliable enough to give Wemby a real rest, and it showed by the end. Reed is a direct answer to that problem. He is built to absorb contact, protect the paint, and keep things stable when Wemby needs a breather.
The cost was real. Two future second-rounders to move up nine spots is a genuine investment. But San Antonio came one Finals loss away from a title, and this front office clearly feels the window is open right now.
Reed does not need to create his own offense. With Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper drawing defensive attention, his job is simple: catch, finish, rebound, and protect the rim. That defined role suits his game perfectly.
The Spurs gave up draft capital, but they got something back that money and picks cannot always guarantee: a ready-made fit. How quickly Reed settles into an NBA rotation will determine just how good this deal looks come next season.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。