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Since the Spurs picked up Rutgers guard Dylan Harper at No. 2, a move pretty much everybody expected, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Carter Bryant was the surprise. Figuring Bryant wouldn’t be around at No. 14, Wright said he explored trading up to make sure the Spurs could draft the former Wildcat forward.

“We had Carter pretty high on our board, and actually tried, made some moves to potentially go and get him,� Wright said Wednesday at a media briefing in San Antonio. “So to get him at 14 was a pleasant surprise for us tonight.�

The selection of Bryant also drew praise from the Spurs’ television analyst ... because that guy is Sean Elliott, who was picked No. 3 overall by the Spurs out of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in 1989 before becoming a two-time NBA all-star.

“Wildcat to Spur — love to see it,� Elliott posted Wednesday. “Welcome to SA @carterdbryant! #beardown #gospursgo.�

While Bryant was the least-used of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 17 lottery picks, averaging just 6.5 points as a freshman in 2024-25, Wright indicated the Spurs saw plenty of upside.

Bryant improved as his only college season went on and intrigued NBA scouts throughout the predraft process with his potential as a 3-and-D wing. His 3-point shooting rose from 26.9% in nonconference play to 38.6% in Big 12 games, and to 45.5% between the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.

“I think he’s super versatile,� Wright said. “He’s a big wing that we think can guard four positions. He spaces the floor, he’s a really good athlete. I think he’s a smart young kid, and he’s got the right character and makeup that we look for.

“So we’re excited that he was there. Again, a little surprised, but we think he adds a new dimension to this team going forward.�

During his post-draft interview Wednesday in Brooklyn, N.Y., Bryant was asked which former Spurs player had a game that resembled his, and he first mentioned Kawhi Leonard, who is from Bryant’s hometown of Riverside, California.

Lightly recruited before attending San Diego State, Leonard blew into a first-round NBA pick and eventual all-star in San Antonio.

“I think immediately the first guy I think of is Kawhi, just his defensive versatility, being able to guard multiple positions early on in his career,� Bryant said.

“He became one of the best players in the world, arguably a top three basketball player at a time when Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and LeBron were pretty much solidified to be the top three. He was really making a statement that he was one of the best players in the world, as well.�

Bryant’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ résumé was limited, but his predraft workouts indicated he might approach a high ceiling someday. At the NBA Combine last month, Bryant showed off a 6-11.75 wingspan and maximum (running) vertical leap of 39.5 inches.

“Prototypical 3-and-D, they call him,� analyst Bob Myers said during ESPN’s draft show. “Not a huge usage rate, didn’t handle the ball, but you can pencil him in and he can do those things, and those picks have tremendous value.

“He did a nice job on the wing. The question is, ‘Can he defend?’ Is that what he can do? But there’s a lot he can improve on, and this is the type of swing that you like to see at this time� in the draft.

The Spurs’ earlier pick of Harper was regarded as more of a can’t miss type of swing. Wright said the Spurs had been following Harper since his high school days, when he came across Bryant in a club-ball game, and he was widely projected to go No. 2 behind Duke’s Cooper Flagg, who went No. 1 to Dallas.

“We played (Harper’s) New York Rens, and I’ll never forget he was killing us,� Bryant said. “I was the biggest dude on our team, so our coach had me guarding the 5-man. I was like, ‘Coach, I promise I can stop him.’

“I remember he walked over to the bench and said, ‘I promise you, you can’t stop me.’�

Since then, though, Bryant said the two have become friends.

“I’m looking forward to playing with my guy D-Harp. It’s been a long time coming,� Bryant said. “We had a lot of conversations throughout high school, whether that was trying to play together in college, just maybe playing together at some point. For him to be my draft buddy and being able to both go in the lottery and being able to represent San Antonio is dope.�

During his ESPN interview as he walked off the draft podium, Bryant was asked how he felt to become an NBA Draft pick after a serious leg injury as a high school freshman that threatened his career.

“It just shows my mental fortitude, my grit, how strong I am mentally,� Bryant said, “showing that I’m ready to handle every obstacle that comes in front of me.�

Believed to be a 50-50 bet to stay in the draft when he entered it in April, Bryant rose through the predraft process to the point where he was projected to be taken between 10-15 in the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday.

After the deadline passed to withdraw from the draft for players intending to return to college basketball, Bryant officially acknowledged his departure from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

“From being an 8-year-old boy who always felt the magic of McKale as a fan, to playing in the most important games of my life thus far with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on my chest, this journey has been all I could have imagined,â€� Bryant posted.

Becoming the No. 14 pick means Bryant will receive a two-year guaranteed contract worth about $10 million, assuming the 20% allowable maximum amount is added to the slot on the NBA’s rookie salary scale.

After Flagg and Harper were taken off the board Wednesday, Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe was picked third by the Philadelphia 76ers, then Charlotte took Duke forward Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 pick, and Utah took Rutgers forward Ace Bailey at No. 5.

For the second five picks, Washington took Texas guard Tre Johnson at No. 6, New Orleans took Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears with the No. 7 pick, Brooklyn chose BYU guard Egor Demin at No. 8, Toronto took South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9 and Houston chose Duke center Khaman Maluach at No. 10.

At No. 11, Washington State wing Cedric Coward went to the Portland Trail Blazers before he was traded to Memphis, and the Chicago Bulls picked French forward Noa Essengue at No. 12.

Atlanta then selected Maryland center Derik Queen at No. 13, later trading him to New Orleans, and Wright said it was only then that he knew for sure that he would be able to get Bryant.

The selection put Bryant on a young team that includes 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama and 2024 No. 4 pick Stephon Castle. Wembanyama and Castle have won the past two NBA Rookie of the Year awards.

“There’s so much room for growth for this team,� Bryant said. “I think you’re going to look up and we could definitely be one of those dynasties that you look back on and you go, man, this was a hell of a team.�