Do the San Antonio Spurs really need to go out of their way to get “revenge” on the Oklahoma City Thunder? After all, they’ve proven themselves to be the better team in the Western Conference. The Thunder have an uphill battle to usurp San Antonio.
Apparently, OKC is already taking small steps to get every advantage they have. One conspiracy theory suggests that the Thunder traded Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins away with the Spurs in mind.
Both Dort and Wiggins were traded to the Atlanta Hawks. The Spurs, of course, are owed the Hawks’ first-round draft pick in 2027. The thought is that Sam Presti boosted the Hawks’ regular-season record in an effort to make that pick lose value.
If that’s true, it would be rather forward-thinking. The Thunder needed to cut salary this summer, and managed to do it while hurting their biggest rival.
If Brian Wright and the Spurs want to make a similar move, there’s no shortage of options.
Spurs Could Swap Point Guards With Clippers
Earlier this month, Full Court Press floated a trade that would see the Spurs send De’Aaron Fox and second-round picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for Darius Garland. Garland’s contract, shooting, and ability to play off-ball all fit better in San Antonio.
The Clippers, on the other hand, are desperate for draft capital, and this trade would send some picks their way.
So how would the Thunder be a victim in this deal? Well, OKC is owed a pick swap from the Clippers in 2027, courtesy of the ill-fated Paul George trade. Garland is probably a better player than Fox, but has only played in 60 or more games in three of his seven NBA seasons. Fox, meanwhile, has appeared in 60 contests in each of the last four years.
The Clippers don’t own their own pick until 2034. There’s no reason for them to tank. Swapping their injury-prone point guard for a relaibel one might increase ticket sales, and that’s really all they have to play for at this point. Any extra win they eke out hurts the Thunder, and giving them Fox should help them cobble together a halfway-competitive season.
Spurs Do Everything They Can to Win 70 Games
This one is pretty straightforward: win games.
In 2025, the Spurs traded their 2027 first-round pick to the Sacramento Kings for De’Aaron Fox. The Kings turned around and traded that pick to OKC for Nique Clifford.
That pick is protected 1-16, but it’s hard to imagine that pick not conveying. OKC will use the Spurs’ pick in 2027.
That should be more than enough incentive for the Spurs to try and finish with the best record in the NBA. Home court advantage and seeding are factors, too, but the simple reality is that the better the Spurs are, the worse the Thunder will get to pick.
Given that OKC has three first-round picks in 2027, we can operate under the assumption that they will trade some of those assets. The better the Spurs are, the worse their return will be.
Spurs owe OKC a first-round pick in 2027 thanks to the Kings sending it to OKC for Nique Clifford. If the Spurs finish with the best record in the NBA, that will be pick #30.
Spurs Swap De’Aaron Fox for Kyrie Irving
This summer, several trades have been floated sending Kyrie Irving to the Spurs. For this exercise, it doesn’t really matter who else is included in the deal, beyond Irving and Fox.
OKC owns Dallas’ 2028 first-round draft pick. Irving has a player option for that season, but sending Fox (who is still under contract) to Dallas to team up with Cooper Flagg should improve the Mavericks.
There are a lot of fans who rightfully believe that Irving is a better player than Fox. However, Irving is six years older and coming off a torn ACL. There is no guarantee that he will be the same guy when he comes back.
Fox better fits Flagg’s timeline and has four years left on his deal. That would allow for a long runway. Should the Spurs flip Fox for Irving, Dallas’ long-term outlook is improved.
By 2028, who knows? Maybe the Mavericks are a playoff team, and one of OKC’s prime draft assets loses value.
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