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San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper underwent surgery on Friday to repair a partially torn ligament in his left thumb, which occurred during a workout earlier this week,according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The “hope” is that Harper will be available for San Antonio’s season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 22.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Rutgers appeared in just two games during the NBA Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He did not participate in the California Classic — which is the summer league prelim to the main event in Las Vegas.
The Spurs climbed from the eighth-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick to the No. 2 draft slot and used the pick to select Harper, who was the consensus second-best prospect in the class behind Cooper Flagg. San Antonio selected Harper despite having guards De’Aaron Fox and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle already on the roster. San Antonio had just a 26.3% chance of jumping into the top-four.
With Fox and Castle solidified as San Antonio’s starting backcourt to begin the season, it was likely that Harper would begin the season in a reserve role. The Spurs acquired Fox at last season’s trade deadline and inked the former Sacramento Kings star to a massive four-year, $229 million max extension.
The Spurs open the 2025-26 season against the Mavericks on the road and face the New Orleans Pelicans (Oct. 24) and the Brooklyn Nets (Oct. 26) during the opening week of the season.