Forgotten Spurs trade set wheels in motion for San Antonio's championship push

The San Antonio Spurs are currently enjoying their best season in nearly a decade and have a forgotten trade to thank for their success. Current Boston Celtics guard and former Spur Derrick White hasn't played in San Antonio for years.

However, the trade that sent him to Boston still resonates, just not in the way that most trades do. It's hard to argue that the Spurs didn't lose that trade that sent White to the Celtics for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, the pick that became Blake Wesley, and a 2028 pick swap.

Richardson was a decent player on the Spurs before eventually being traded for four seconds. Meanwhile, Langford and Wesley showed promise but didn't ultimately amount to much in San Antonio.

Nevertheless, San Antonio did get exactly what they were looking for out of the trade.

Forgotten Spurs trade set wheels in motion for championship

As CBS Sports' Sam Quinn points out, that trade helped to clear the deck for what became this incarnation of the team.

By trading with White, it allowed San Antonio to showcase their young players and officially start a rebuild. Remember, the Spurs had just moved on from LaMarcus Aldridge the season prior and moved DeMar DeRozan the summer before they traded White.

Without those two, White and DeJounte Murray were given much bigger roles. The hope was that they would both break out. But White never replicated his strong play from the NBA bubble—at least with the Spurs.

White was also starting a new contract that seemed to be a bit of an overpay at the time, not to mention they had drafted Devin Vassell the year before. Between him and Murray, Murray seemed like the better long-term option.

Thus, the Spurs traded White to the highest bidder, the Celtics. They lost the trade, yes, but it did free San Antonio up to fully rebuild.

The Spurs shouldn't regret trading Derrick White

One benefit of the trade is that Vassell became a full-time starter and has been in that role for the last four and a half years. Keldon Johnson also established himself as a key player.

He's continued to reinvent himself since then, with Johnson winning Sixth Man of the Year this season. Murray also had an all-star season, the year after White was traded.

San Antonio then traded high on him. They got two firsts and a pick swap. One pick became Carter Bryant, while the pick swap allowed the Spurs to move up nine spots in this year's draft.

More importantly, San Antonio bottomed out. That allowed them to draft Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. Those players, along with Vassell and Johnson, have helped San Antonio rejoin the NBA's elite.

Had they held onto White, it's possible that that chain of events might not have happened. Therefore, they were justified in having traded White, especially given how well they are playing now.

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