First off, I’d like to preface this by saying that the acquisition of DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl has been a major success for general managed R.C. Buford. Bringing along another superstar caliber player to replace a disgruntled Kawhi Leonard was not only intuitive, but it showed the world that the San Antonio Spurs will continue to battle the Wild West in the face of adversity.
With that said, there was another route that would’ve changed the course of the Southwest Division for years to come.
As Manu Ginobili hung up his uniform and finished an illustrious career, San Antonio could’ve used Leonard to bring along arguably the greatest European prospect we’ve ever seen in 19-year-old swingman Luka Doncic.