The San Antonio Spurs walked into the 2026 NBA Draft knowing they needed size. They didn’t just need it. They acted like a team that had a shopping list and checked it twice.
At No. 20 they took Jayden Quaintance, a former five-star recruit with a frame that already looks NBA-ready. That alone might have been enough for some teams. Not the Spurs. They kept working the phones.
Six picks later they swung a deal with the Denver Nuggets. Denver sent the No. 35 pick, a 2028 second-rounder (originally from the Timberwolves) and a 2031 second-round pick (via the Kings) to the Nuggets. In return the Spurs got UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., who stands close to 6-foot-10 and spent two seasons in Storrs turning himself into a reliable interior presence.
The trade was first reported by Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Reed’s not flashy. He’s not going to post 20-point games or stretch the floor beyond 15 feet. What he does is simple: he rebounds, he sets screens, he protects the rim. For a Spurs team that already has Victor Wembanyama as its centerpiece, Reed fits the role of a physical backup who can absorb minutes and fouls without the team losing its defensive identity.
Wembanyama is obviously the future. But he’s also still filling out his frame. Having a guy like Reed around means you don’t have to run Wemby into the ground in October just to survive a random Tuesday night game in Minnesota. It’s depth with a purpose.
Quaintance is the higher-upside name here. He’s 19 years old, built like a professional already, and has the kind of raw athleticism that makes scouts dream. But Reed might be the more useful piece right now. He’s already played in big games at UConn. He knows how to box out against guys who outweigh him. That matters when you’re trying to win regular-season games in March.
San Antonio essentially used future second-round capital to jump up and grab a guy who can play meaningful minutes this season. That’s a bet on the present without sacrificing the future. The Nuggets meanwhile add another couple of draft assets to their stash, which is standard operating procedure for a team that’s always looking to restock on cheap contracts.
The Spurs came into draft night wanting to get bigger. They got bigger twice. Whether that translates into wins next season depends on how quickly their young core learns to play together. But the roster is taking shape. And it’s taking shape with length.
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