The San Antonio Spurs will have the right to swap picks with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The San Antonio Spurs are not done building around Victor Wembanyama. Not only is Dylan Harper expected to eventually step into a bigger role, but the team has ample draft capital in the coming seasons, with picks owed to them from the Hawks, Mavericks, Timberwolves, and Kings.
In the top-heavy 2026 Draft, the Spurs are owed a pick swap from Atlanta thanks to the 2022 Dejounte Murray trade. The Hawks have been surging recently, but they will still pick well ahead of the Spurs.
The best players in the draft are clearly Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, and Darius Acuff Jr. The Spurs won't be able to pick any of them, but that doesn't mean they won't be able to land a proven college talent.
NBA Mock Draft Sends All-American to Spurs
In his sixth college season between community college, the AAC, and the Big Ten, Michiann forward Yaxel Lendeborg finally made the All-American Team.
In his final college season, the 24-year-old averaged 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and shot 51.5 percent from the field. He's a pretty complete player, and his advanced skillset and college experience hint at him being ready to impact winning now, which is exactly the type of player the Spurs are after.
“He’s going to be 24 in September, and that’s the big thing with him—he is ready to play in the NBA, but you’d expect him to be more of a versatile, dirty-work kind of role player," an unnamed scout told Heavy's Sean Deveney, who projected Lendeborg going to the Spurs 17th overall. "That’s not a bad thing, but he fits best with a contender. Some teams might be looking for a bigger swing.”
He is an oversized forward who should thrive as a pass disruptor on defense and fourth or fifth option in the Spurs' rotation. Next season, expect San Antonio to trot out Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Devin Vassell as starters. Lendeborg could be the power forward, replacing Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie.
Of course, in the NBA, Lendeborg is not expected to command the same star power as he did in college, but he should be a solid role player on a team with title experience. His versatility on both ends of the floor should raise his ceiling, and with an elite supporting cast around him, he should be poised to have a long NBA career, playing a role the Spurs will need to fill.