Let's not get anything twisted: The San Antonio Spurs made the safe and savvy move by taking Dylan Harper with the number two pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. He is the most well-rounded player of the incoming rookie class after Cooper Flagg, and despite the glut they now have in their backcourt between him, De'Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle, most experts would tell you that taking harper was not just safe and savvy, but correct.
However, the glut is still there (precisely to the tune of an incumbent winner and $228 million starter), and you can bet that it will necessitate some hard decisions to be made over the next few years as Wemby continues to grow.
To wit, the Spurs did have a more viable reason than any team to draft whoever they wanted. It's hard to imagine a world where De'Aaron Fox and Wemby aren't ready to make at least a decent level of playoff noise right now, meaning that San Antonio could have chosen any project to develop. And to think of where they could have gone with the second pick is an interesting thought experiment.
Here are three rookies that they might regret having passed up.
3. Ace Bailey
For most analysts, there could have been arguments for the other superstar out of Rutgers to have been the No. 2 pick over Dylan Harper. And for San Antonio, the big, rangy, scoring forward would have slotted in perfectly beside Wemby and Fox.
No one in the draft has a deeper mid-range bag than Bailey, and for a primary scorer, he possesses both the tools and mentality to be horrifying on the less glamorous end of the court. The only holes scouts can seemingly find in Bailey's game are related to how he fares under pressure: his handle starts to get wobbly, he's a little bit skinny to finish in NBA-level traffic, his shooting can get streaky.
But guess what? Bailey wouldn't be getting nearly as pressured with Wemby and Fox to worry about.
Think of how effective Amen Thompson could be with KD and Sengun taking the pressure off of him. Better yet, think of what Carmelo Anthony and the Pistons could have been if they'd drafted him in 2003.
That is what the Spurs might have passed on.
2. VJ Edgecombe
Edgecombe is listed as a guard, which would in theory bring the same roster awkwardness that Dylan Harper does. But his athleticism, motor, and low need for the ball in his hands make a three-headed lineup between him, Fox, and Castle feel much neater than Harper does.
You can also cut and paste Bailey's intangibles onto Edgecombe. It's rare to see a top five pick as willing to put in the dirty work, but that's a huge part of Edgecombe's appeal. Reading his draft profile is like looking at a more violently athletic, potentially sweeter shooting version of Michael Cooper. And yes, Edgecombe needs to be able to focus his immense athleticism into something sharper — but a team like San Antonio is the perfect environment for that growth to happen, and fast.
Not to mention, if there is anyone who can teach Edgecombe how to not be overly reliant on his freakish physical gifts as a guard, it's De'Aaron Fox.
1. Kon Knueppel
Edgecombe's profile can largely be used for Knueppel, but more as a roving artillery unit of a shooter. Of the three players on this list, Knueppel might have the lowest athletic, and therefore defensive ceiling, but makes up for it by being as polished and top-of-lottery-worthy as any rookie could be. And in fact, seeing as his IQ is high enough to get the man listed as a plus defender on his draft profile, I'm actually leaving his analysis more impressed.
Knueppel's inclusion on this list is the culmination of the thought experiment that is analyzing the Spurs' other options on draft night. He brings shooting out of the box to a team that took, made, and missed a lot in 2025. His lack of primary shot creation can be solved by, oh, I don't know, the reigning Rookie of the Year and low-tier All-NBA-level point guards on the roster. And if Knueppel's defensive IQ fails him, there is no more terrifying help defender in the NBA than Victor Wembanyama.