In sports activities, it’s unimaginable to not look again at historical past, reminisce, and marvel what might have modified had issues gone in another way. Each group has these moments, and so they’re usually related to on-court occasions and championships. For the Spurs, such moments embody what if Derek Fisher doesn’t hit a shot with 0.4 seconds left? What if Robert Horry doesn’t go loopy in Recreation 5? What if Manu Ginobili doesn’t foul Dirk Nowitzki? And many others.
Nonetheless, what-ifs don’t all the time have to return on the court docket. Franchise-altering occasions can occur off the court docket as effectively, and generally in ways in which appeared dangerous on the time however ended up figuring out for the higher. For me, there are two key examples of such occasions for the Spurs, and so they come within the type of free company.
What if Derek Anderson re-signs with the Spurs in 2001?
It’s the summer season of 2000. The Spurs are coming off a disappointing first-round exit after dropping Tim Duncan to a knee harm and are desperately attempting to get him to remain in free company, with guarantees of a brand new enviornment and constructing one other contender round him.
They start that course of by signing third-year swingman Derek Anderson, who’s coming off a profession yr with the Clippers. Initially, it appeared like an ideal match. He averaged 15.5 factors, 4.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals in his lone season in silver and black, was by the third finest Spur after Duncan and David Robinson (possibly even second), and he gave the impression to be their reply to the Shaq/Kobe-led Lakers. Sadly, a karate-chop from Juwan Howard dislocated Anderson’s shoulder and ended his season within the second spherical in opposition to the Mavericks, and the Spurs would go on to get swept by the Lakers within the 2001 Western Convention Finals.
Regardless of the sad ending to the season, it appeared like he would fortunately signal a six-year, $40 million contract (which was proper in line again then) and be part of their future core. Nonetheless, it wasn’t sufficient, he complained to the media that he wasn’t their prime precedence (the Spurs have been additionally engaged on re-signing Robinson), and as an alternative he was traded to Portland for Steve Smith, the place he signed a barely bigger six-year, $48 million contract.
It appeared like a blow on the time, however Anderson’s refusal to signal the Spurs’ supply ended up being a blessing in disguise, as a result of if he had signed, it’s fairly attainable they by no means would have introduced over a sure draft-and-stash named Manu Ginobili. Anderson would go on to have an injury-plagued profession after leaving the Spurs, and whereas he did finally win a hoop as a bench hotter on the Warmth’s 2006 group, he was out of the league by 2008. In the meantime, Ginobili become a Corridor of Famer with 4 championship and had a for much longer profession (to not point out, he’s a way more likeable individual), so Anderson rebuffing the Spurs’ supply greater than paid off.
What if Jason Kidd indicators with the Spurs in 2003?
Though the Spurs had simply received the championship, there have been few (if any) indications that Ginobili and/or Tony Parker would develop into the Corridor of Famers they’re at present, and with Robinson retiring, the Spurs have been searching for one other star teammate for Duncan. Their goal? The purpose guard they’d simply defeated within the Finals: Jason Kidd. He was actually higher than Parker on the time, and by all accounts he was thiiiis near placing pen to paper earlier than finally deciding to stick with the Nets.
Whereas his rebuff didn’t appear to be fairly the blow dropping Anderson did — I used to be personally on Group Parker and wished to see the Spurs maintain and develop him as an alternative — it’s one other case of lacking out on a free agent figuring out of their favor. Clearly, Parker did find yourself being a star in his personal proper and helped lead the Spurs to a few extra championships, and whereas Kidd could rank greater on some all-time lists, Parker match the Spurs’ timeline higher.
Kidd, who’s 9 years older, was arguably at his peak in 2003, and despite the fact that he made 4 extra All-Star appearances and helped lead the Mavericks to a championship in 2011, his scoring slowly dipped from 2003 on. Whereas Kidd was all the time a extra prolific facilitator than Parker, Parker was the higher scorer, and that’s what the Spurs ended up needing from him as Duncan exited his offensive prime starting round 2009. At that time, the older Kidd was principally a playmaker whereas prime Nowitzki was the Mavs’ offensive centerpiece, in order that they every ended up becoming their respective groups higher.
Do the Spurs nonetheless win a championship (or a number of) with Kidd as their place to begin guard alongside prime Duncan? Extra doubtless than not. Did the youthful Parker prolong their championship window, assist create the Spurs’ repute as a developmental juggernaut, and permit us followers to run with the moniker of “constructed, not purchased”? Completely, and all this doesn’t even think about the truth that it might have price a reasonably penny to signal Kidd in 2003, so the Spurs could not have even had the cash re-sign to Ginobili had Kidd develop into a Spur. He nonetheless would have been a great pickup for the Spurs, but it surely labored out for the higher that he didn’t come.
Will Kawhi Leonard ultimately be a part of this listing?
Clearly, the largest “mishap” in fashionable Spurs historical past was Kawhi Leonard demanding a commerce. Whereas that technically wasn’t a free company transfer, it compelled the Spurs palms in the event that they wished one thing in return for him as an alternative of dropping him for nothing. Though that was again in 2018, and the potential “payoff” (if there may be one) solely simply arrived in 2023 and has but to show himself on an NBA court docket, Leonard’s departure might sometime be a part of the ranks of Anderson and Kidd saying “no thanks” being a profit to the Spurs.
If Victor Wembanyama lives as much as extraordinarily excessive expectations and leads the Spurs again to the promised land, the questions surrounding Leonard will develop into, “If he stayed, would the Spurs have even gotten Wemby?” Once more, you by no means know — Leonard’s continued well being points and missed time could have led to the same scenario that made drafting Duncan attainable — however most probably not. For now, he’s nonetheless “the one which obtained away”, however sometime, he could flip into “the one who made Wemby attainable”, and if that occurs, we’ll all be thanking as an alternative of hating him.
