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Should Spurs Move on from Draft-and-Stash Following Surgery?

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Quenton S Albertie | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The San Antonio Spurs have drafted so many players during their rebuild that it seems like they have a limitless supply of talent to develop. Yet, the NBA is such a difficult league to succeed in –let alone to excel and make a name in –that having an abundance of draft picks is actually ideal. That’s even the case for teams that get to select a prospect in the lottery (picks 1-14), with a multitude of highly-touted prospects failing to live up to expectations.

Spurs Draft-And-Stash Juan Nunez Undergoes Second Surgery

Juan Nunez could be yet another prospect who proves to be a cautionary tale. Last week, the 21-year-old underwent arthroscopic surgery to address inflammation in his right knee, his team announced. His first time going under the knife was in March 2024, after he ruptured his (right) meniscus.

The 36th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Nunez was acquired from the Indiana Pacers in a trade for 2024 No. 35 pick Johnny Furphy. Keep in mind that, at this time, the point guard position was a problem for the Spurs. As a result, they had a pretty good reason to add the 6-foot-4 playmaker. However, rather than coming right over, he continued playing in Europe. Leaving Ratiopharm Ulm and joining FC Barcelona not only brought the Madrid native home but put him in a brighter spotlight, Barcelona being a more prestigious team than Ratiopharm.

Not Living Up To Expectations

Prior to being sidelined, Nunez wasn’t doing too hot.

Is it crazy to say that Juan Nunez kinda plays like Kyle Lowry? As a heat fan I kinda see the comp but I might be tripping. Nunez definitely will have an NBA role one day, Ulm is using him in real minutes and the improvements have shown #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/fLS7rhB58N

— nbadraftpoint (@nbadraftpoint) November 29, 2023

When he was with Ratiopharm in 2022-23, he averaged 7.8 points and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 44.1% from the field. In 2023-24, he averaged 9.9 points and 4.9 assists per game, shooting 47.0% from the field. He even upped his steal average from 1.2 to 1.7 per game. However, in his first season with Barca, he averaged 5.0 points and 3.3 assists per game on 41.8% shooting from the field. It’s also concerning that his defensive rating (dRTG) was a career-worst 111.6.

Numbers never tell the entire story. Nevertheless, it’s clear that he wasn’t scoring or defending quite as well as he did the two previous seasons. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact he was coming off of a meniscus surgery. Maybe it was even influenced by the factors that led to him having a follow-up surgery on his knee. Yet, even if it was, that’s not thrilling for the Spurs.

In any case, Nunez had missed all of Barcelona’s 2025-26 season, only just resuming training (h/t Flashscore’s Cesar Suarez). He also wasn’t able to play for Spain in EuroBasket 2025. This is after he was a solid contributor in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and on the roster for the 2024 Olympics Qualifiers.

Should Spurs Move On?

The best way to look at Nunez’s development trajectory over the past four seasons is that it’s the tale of two halves. In the first half, he truly looked like he could become a name for Spurs fans to remember. In the second half, he’s been all but forgettable.

Jun 28, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio first round draft pick Dylan Harper (2) holds up his jersey along with general manager Brian Wright at Victory Capital Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

So, where does that leave the Spurs? They have Nunez’s draft rights but haven’t signed him as he’s under contract with another team (albeit in another league). Even more pressingly, they added three key ball-handlers —De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle –since last summer.

Age aside, by the time he catches his stride, they might not even see a need to bring him over. That certainly wasn’t the plan when they drafted him 36th overall. Yet, it may have to be the direction they go if he doesn’t get healthy. The 21-year-old still has time but now he’s the one on the clock.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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