The San Antonio Spurs added another frontcourt prospect on draft night, acquiring the No. 26 pick from the Denver Nuggets and using it to select UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. In exchange, Denver received the No. 35 pick and two future second-round selections, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
San Antonio, coming off a 62-20 season and a run to the NBA Finals, paid additional assets to secure a player it targeted in the first round. Denver, which finished 54-28 and earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference before a first-round playoff exit, opted to move back nine spots while increasing its future draft capital.
Reed arrives in San Antonio after a productive senior season at UConn. The 6-foot-10 big man averaged 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game across 35 starts in 2025-26. He shot 60.7% from the field and ranked among the most efficient interior scorers in college basketball.
His development accelerated significantly after transferring from Michigan to UConn before the 2024-25 season. Reed averaged 9.0 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sophomore at Michigan, then improved his efficiency and production under the Huskies’ system. During his final collegiate campaign, he posted career highs in points, rebounds, assists and blocks while serving as a key piece for one of the nation’s strongest frontcourts.
Across four college seasons, Reed appeared in 136 games and averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 59.1% from the field. His combination of rebounding, rim protection and interior finishing helped elevate his draft stock into the first-round conversation.
For San Antonio, Reed becomes the second frontcourt player selected in the first round. Earlier in the evening, the Spurs used the No. 20 pick, acquired from Atlanta, on Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance. Adding both prospects gives the organization additional size and depth behind a roster that reached the NBA Finals before falling to the New York Knicks in five games.
Denver’s side of the deal is equally noteworthy. The Nuggets entered the draft with only two selections, Nos. 26 and 49. By moving down to No. 35 and adding two future second-rounders, they increased their inventory of tradable assets while remaining near the top of the second round.
