10 San Antonio Spurs that never played a single minute

8. Marquese Chriss

Chriss was the eighth overall pick in 2016 after one year at the University of Washington where he played with future NBA players Dejounte Murray and Matisse Thybulle. The 6’9 forward ranked 52nd in his high school class but went in the top ten of the NBA Draft just one year later. His athletic ability, defensive potential, and outside shooting made him an interesting prospect with massive upside.

Chriss ended up in Phoenix but never blossomed. He played in all 82 games as a rookie where he averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 21.3 minutes per game. The 19-year-old was named second-team All-Rookie, but that was his career-high in minutes per game.

Chriss bounced around the league and struggled to find a consistent role. After leaving the Suns, he played for three different teams over the next three years before being traded to the Spurs in March of 2021. There was excitement from Spurs fans as Chriss was teaming back up with Dejounte, but their hopes were crushed when San Antonio waived him three days later.

Marquese Chriss would be part of four different teams after leaving San Antonio, but only played 34 more NBA games. The 26-year-old did not see the floor in the 2022-23 season and it appears his basketball career is over. Chriss had plenty of talent, but Spurs fans never got a chance to see what he could do in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich.