As the San Antonio Spurs playoff run begins, the NBA is already looking at potential rule changes that could dramatically affect both them and the rest of the league.
The NBA has been looking to reform the draft process and may very well do so this summer. Although San Antonio wasn’t a part of the tanking problem this season, it was still a widespread issue that Commissioner Adam Silver is looking to solve.
San Antonio’s dramatic turnaround this season was a direct result of the draft. However, some teams have been critical about how the Spurs went about their rebuild. The Silver and Black selecting in the top four in three straight drafts has spurred discussions of how to reform the lottery.
One such proposal would prevent teams from having a top draft pick in back-to-back seasons, in response to the Spurs selecting Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. Ironically, that change could end up benefiting San Antonio.
Proposed NBA rule change could gift Spurs path to dynasty
As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn points out, the proposed rule may make it harder for bad teams to stockpile young talent. As a result, it would be harder for rebuilding franchises to eventually challenge teams such as the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
One of the unintended consequences of lottery reform is that I imagine it will entrench the Thunder and Spurs at the top. I’m not sure how teams post-reform are going to have any hope of assembling all of the young talent they were able to in order to really oppose them.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) March 27, 2026
Were that to happen, that would be a hilariously ironic twist. It would also go to show that the NBA hasn’t learned a valuable lesson. They have a tendency to overreact to trends and make rules that only make things worse.
Take, for instance, the introduction of the repeater tax back in 2011. That rule was meant to punish teams that frequently overspend, namely larger market teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, that rule made it harder for a smaller market team such as the Thunder to keep their young core together. In fact, the repeater tax was largely the reason why they traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets.
Now, the NBA is looking at another rule that could have unintended consequences.
The Spurs could hoard talent under proposed rule change
Under the potential rule change, bad teams may stay bad for longer. Especially if they end up with a high pick in a bad draft. That’s not to mention two more teams coming into the picture due to expansion.
Both of those things bode well for San Antonio if they can keep the core of Wembanyama, Castle, and Harper together long-term. The same could be said for the Thunder with a core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.
It’s entirely possible that both the Spurs and Thunder are the clear winners of a potential draft rule change. That would be bad news for the rest of the NBA but great for the Spurs. In fact, it could help make them a perennial contender with unintended help from the NBA
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