With $14 million in salary-cap room and just five players under contract, the Spurs' offseason work figures to extend well beyond tonight's NBA Draft.

Unless, of course, they can somehow parlay their No. 28 pick into a starting center, a starting shooting guard, a backup point guard, a backup center and a few more role players.

"You're almost never going to draft anybody of immediate significance at 28th," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. "We even had to wait four games for Tony (Parker) to start."

Parker slipped to the Spurs at the bottom of the first round two years ago, quickly developed into one of the league's best young point guards then helped guide the team to this season's championship. But the odds of history repeating itself, Buford said, "aren't very high."

Though the Spurs will probably have an easier time finding someone to replace David Robinson in the starting lineup when the free-agent market opens Tuesday, they still hope to use their only draft pick ? they traded their second-round selection to Detroit for Mengke Bateer ? to pick up another prospect, regardless of whether he can immediately contribute.