Every Spurs Draft-Day Trade Since 2000
Headed into the 2022 NBA Draft Thursday night in Brooklyn, the San Antonio Spurs find themselves with more opportunity than most of the lottery teams. Three first-round picks leaves general manager Brian Wright with the option to use all his fortune through the selection process or get something of nice value in a trade.
The Spurs have never been a trade-happy team, let alone on draft day. Rumors did swirl Wednesday night about a potential deal involving All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks that would need to happen sooner rather than later if the Spurs want to move up. However, the franchise hasn't made a draft-day trade since 2011, though there were a few more worth noting that happened during the prime dynasty days of the 2000s.
From most significant to least significant, let's take a look at all five of the trades the Spurs have made on draft day since 2000.
2011 - Spurs trade George Hill to Indiana Pacers for Kawhi Leonard, Davis Bertans, and Erazaem Lorbek.
Spurs fans definitely remember this one. In one of the biggest trades in franchise history, San Antonio parted with its budding young point guard in favor of a quiet prospect that was a bit of an unknown at the No. 15 overall pick.
When the Spurs dealt George Hill in favor of Kawhi Leonard, fans felt conflicted. But Leonard, whose exit from San Antonio after seven seasons in 2018 felt rushed and out of nowhere, is still one of the most talented players in franchise history. He won the 2014 Finals MVP and followed it up with two Defensive Player of the Year awards before going on to be considered one of the league's best over the next few seasons.
Hill is currently on the Milwaukee Bucks, his eighth team in 14 seasons. So far in his career, he's averaged 10.7 points, three rebounds, and 3.1 assists. Leonard is with the Los Angeles Clippers and is aiming at a return next season after suffering a torn ACL in the playoffs last year.
And one of the trade's most forgotten pieces, Davis Bertans, has become one of the most lethal deep 3-point shooters in the league. In his final year with the Spurs in 2019, he shot a scorching 43 percent from deep. He's now with the Dallas Mavs after being traded by the Washington Wizards earlier this season.
2002 - Spurs trade Mark Bryant, Randy Holcomb and John Salmons to the Philadelphia 76ers for Speedy Claxton.
The Spurs essentially drafted Randy Holcomb and John Salmons for the 76ers to trade them for a solid backup point guard in Speedy Claxton, who would go on to play a vital role alongside a young Tony Parker during the Spurs title run in 2003.
After the trade, Claxton would only play one season with the Spurs but came up big for the team against the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 Finals. In a closeout victory in Game 6, Claxton had 13 points, four assists, and one block. He had averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 assists on the season.
2003 - Spurs draft Leandro Barbosa in the first round and then trade him to the Phoenix Suns for a 2005 first-round pick
The Spurs selected Leandro Barbosa with the 28th overall pick following their second championship in 2003. The team immediately traded him for a first-round pick but could've greatly benefited from retaining him given the career he would go on to have.
He played 14 seasons in the NBA and was a productive backup point guard with excellent offensive instincts and ability. In his third season with the Suns, Barbosa averaged an impressive 18.1 points and four assists per game primarily coming off the bench, which earned him 2006-07 Sixth Man of the Year honors. Legendary Spurs guard Manu Ginobili would win the award the following season.
Barbosa then went on to play two seasons with a budding dynasty in the Golden State Warriors, as he won his first and only title in 2015 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In a Game 5 win against the Cavs, he posted 13 points and two rebounds.
The Spurs never got direct use out of the 2005 first-round pick they got in exchange for Barbosa, but they still ended up signing the player that was drafted over a decade later. The New York Knicks received the pick and selected David Lee, a two-time All-Star that eventually won a ring with the Warriors and Barbosa in 2015 before playing his final season in the NBA with the Spurs in 2017.
2007 - Spurs trade Georgios Printezis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2008 second-round draft pick
This trade was a strange one. After the Spurs selected Brazilian forward Tiago Splitter with the 28th overall pick following the franchise's fourth title in 2007, San Antonio traded its second-round pick in that draft, Georgios Printezis of Greece, in exchange for a 2008 second-rounder.
Printezis never played in the NBA, but still had his rights traded a whopping seven times from 2007 to 2015. Ironically, his final time being traded by the Atlanta Hawks in 2015 was in exchange for Splitter and a draft pick.
The 2008 second-pick the Spurs received in the original trade turned into Goran Dragic, who is currently on the Brooklyn Nets, his fifth team in 14 seasons. Dragic has turned into one of the league's top backup point guards. He won the 2013-14 Most Improved Player Award and was an All-Star in 2018.
2006 - Spurs trade Damir Markota to the Milwaukee Bucks for a 2007 second-round draft pick
The Spurs drafted Croatian forward Damir Markota 59th overall in 2006 before immediately trading him to the Milwaukee Bucks for a future 2007 second-round pick.
Markota would only play one season with the Bucks, averaging 1.7 points and one rebound in 30 appearances. The Spurs, who later selected Marcus Williams with the 2007 selection, never got much value, as Williams would appear in just three total games with San Antonio and scored four total points.
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