3 Players the San Antonio Spurs gave up on at exactly the right time

"No matter how far you've traveled, if you discover you're going the wrong way, turn around."

That's a quote my mother used to tell me when I was a young Thundercat. Come to find out, it's an old Turkish proverb that's been around for a very long time. Maybe that's why the San Antonio Spurs are great at making pivots after they've done something wrong. They're not afraid to admit their failings and move on.

It's an admirable trait that stubborn organizations struggle with, but Spurs Nation has benefited greatly from the franchise's willingness to say, "That didn't go as planned, but we're on to the next." Some missteps were worse than others, and some weren't necessarily mistakes. Occasionally, a team is dealt a poor hand. But it's still their job to make the most of it. The Spurs have done that time after time.

3. Dejounte Murray - 2016 (29th pick)

The 2016 draft wasn't considered particularly strong, but this is a prime example of San Antonio making the best out of a weak situation. Because they were a perennial playoff team with sustained success, the Silver and Black were always picking at the end of the draft. This year was no different, but they chose Murray. He, still to this day, is one of the best players from that class.

That doesn't say as much as we would have liked it to, but he wasn't supposed to be anybody's number one option. Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge were still on the team, and as a third piece, he was fine. But everything fell about after Leonard forced his way out. They then bring in DeMar DeRozan and try to see if Murray and Deebo will work, but it wasn't the right pairing.

To be fair, that was never the plan. They tried to make the best of a bad situation, and once they figured out it wasn't going to work, they hit the reset button. Their decision to do so when they did coincided with Atlanta's wish to put a defensive guard next to Trae Young, so they overpaid for DJ. It helped set SA up for a strong future, and Carter Bryant's selection is a direct result of their diligence.

Dejounte has been out of the 210 for three years, and his best season was in a Spurs uniform, suggesting he's one of those players who may have hit his ceiling early. He hasn't gotten much better than he was when he played for Coach Popovich, but that makes sense. Pop is the GOAT.

2. Stephen Jackson (Waived before playoffs 2013)

Stephen Jackson ran a masterclass on what not to do in an NBA locker room, especially one as buttoned up as San Antonio's. Captain Jack played a pivotal role in the Spurs' 2003 championship run. He scored opportunistically and played tough defense. But the key was to play a role. Coaching was not his job, and he overstepped in his return to Alamo City 10 years later.

Jackson wasn't happy that the Spurs lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 playoffs 2-4 after starting the series up 2-0. But instead of morphing that frustration into motivation for the next season, he thought it was a great idea to challenge Coach Pop for Manu Ginobili's minutes, and he wouldn't let up.

They won 58 games the following year, and they did it with Jackson causing headaches as he continued to express his belief that he was better than Ginobili, and deserved more time than the Argentinian Hall of Famer. What he ended up getting was the boot instead. The Spurs waived the former Bobcat right before the playoffs started.

Jackson averaged six points in 20 minutes per game in his final season with San Antonio. He played for one more year after that in a LA Clippers uniform, where he put up two points a night over nine games before retiring. His behavior was toxic, and his claim of being better than Manu was delusional. Coach Pop was right to waive him without waiting for the offseason. Nobody wants or needs that energy during a playoff run.

1. Josh Primo - 2021 (12th pick)

There's not much that needs to be said here, but I'm going to say some stuff anyway because what a terrible pick. Primo wasn't even supposed to be in the 2021 draft, but he got some strong reactions to his combine workouts and opted not to wait for 2022. After the combine, but before any private workouts, he was projected as the 25th pick. Selecting him at 12 was a major reach by the front office.

He was a 6'5" guard, and the league was trending the way of the big playmakers, so I understand the vision, but there were so many other guys who could have been drafted.

The Spurs could have just saved us all the headache and embarrassment of Josh's disgusting behavior had they chosen any of the following players who were still on the board: Corey Kispert, Alperen Sengun, Trey Murphy III, Jalen Johnson, Quentin Grimes, Cam Thomas, or even Bones Hyland.

But you live and you learn, and they did what respectable organizations do when you learn about a player engaging in such egregious acts; they cut bait immediately. Knowing when to change course led San Antonio to Victor Wembanyama. They've now landed top lottery picks in three straight drafts, and their potential is through the roof. Nothing else matters now. That's a credit to them.