Not unexpectedly, the Spurs added to their prodigious collection of so-called “draft and stashes” on Thursday, selecting Serbian center Nikola Milutinov with the 26th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft. General manager R.C. Buford said it has yet to be determined whether Milutinov, 20, will play in the NBA next season. But it’s virtually certain he’ll remain in Europe as the Spurs preserve cap space for what is expected to be an especially active offseason. Milutinov will play with the Serbian national team at the European championships rather than join the Spurs for summer league in Las Vegas and Utah. The young center averaged 9.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks last season in the Adriatic Basketball Association. “We’re excited to get Nikola,” Buford said. “He is a young big guy that has improved a great deal over the past year. As we go to the future and need to replenish our size, we try to add a player like that and give him a chance to develop and see what he can do. “I think the comparison we’ve made more (than Tiago Splitter) is Rasho (Nesterovic). Really good passer. The really interesting thing about him is that he is a better offensive rebounder than a defensive rebounder. You don’t see that with many people his size. There are parts of his game we need to develop. But from where he was a year ago to now, as a 20 year old, he’s come a long way.” The Spurs now hold the rights to 12 players who played internationally last season. Avoiding another guaranteed contact is attractive for the Spurs as they enter the offseason with 10 free agents, and a keen eye on Portland All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who has reportedly told the Blazers he won’t be back. While the $1,189,920 Milutinov would be due under the collective bargaining agreement as the 26th pick might not seem like much, every penny could count. - See more at: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2015/06/25/live-nba-draft-thread/
