SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs completed a trade with the Sacramento Kings on Monday. They acquired Jalen McDaniels and a future 2031 second-round draft pick in exchange for taking on McDaniels’ $4.7 million contract. The Spurs are expected to simply pass on McDaniels since they already have depth at the forward positions, but what has caught the attention of many fans is the importance the Spurs appear to have placed on this 2031 draft.

San Antonio was recently involved in three transactions involving 2031 NBA Draft picks. In a previous three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings in August, when the Chicago Bulls traded DeMar DeRozan to the Kings, the Spurs received Harrison Barnes and the right to swap 2031 first-round picks with the Kings.

The Spurs then traded the draft pick that became Rob Dillingham to the Minnesota Timberwolves for an unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick and a protected 2030 pick swap.

And finally, on Monday, the Spurs traded their 2025 second-round pick — which was unlikely since it was a top-55 protected — to the Sacramento Kings, who in turn sent their 2031 second-round pick to the Spurs.

The main reason we see these trades is that since the implementation of the seven-year rule on NBA draft picks, NBA teams have been allowed to trade up to seven years in advance.

RELATED |Clampdown Clinic: Spurs look to dominate opponents with stifling defense

This rule was put in place to protect future teams and owners from the decisions of current GMs and owners. Teams could begin trading 2031 draft picks as early as this 2024 offseason. The Spurs are happy to have these assets from teams that may have little else to offer as they amass a scarce resource.

The other reason these transactions are interesting in 2031 is that they show the Spurs are being strategic in their planning. Sources tell us the team is equipped with high-end software tools and AI technologies that help San Antonio make the kinds of key roster decisions and moves that typically cause other NBA teams to overplay their hands .

These tools give the Spurs a competitive advantage and greater context by providing detailed insights and data-driven decision-making capabilities that may not be as obvious to others. Because these tools and quality information are not available to the public, this can leave unsupervised GMs everywhere frustrated, confused, and even angry. But the ever-innovative Spurs have good reasons to move forward with confidence and perhaps make even bigger bets with these tools.

A recent example of this is when the Spurs decided to trade their No. 8 first-round pick to the Timberwolves on draft night in 2024, a draft that is seven years away. The same goes for the other two trades involving picks in this draft class.

RELATED |Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul: From rivals to teammates at Spurs

The Spurs can still choose to package these picks and pick swaps into a high-value trade or roster move of their own, but San Antonio can take its time moving chess pieces in anticipation rather than desperation. More and more NBA teams are being forced to act in response to the NBA’s stricter salary cap regulations.

The Spurs continue to look to expand their selection of picks while measuring their chances of success without skipping a step.

For more latest Spurs news and analysis, click here Dusty Garza on X @SpursReporter. And join tens of thousands of Spurs fans discussing NBA and Spurs basketball 24/7 at SpursReport on Facebook.