10 San Antonio Spurs that never played a single minute

2. Luis Scola

Is a legend in Argentina after being part of their golden basketball generation with Spurs Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili. They won the Olympic gold medal in 2004 and took the bronze in 2008. Ginobili was the team’s leading scorer with the 6’9 forward as his running mate. They were outstanding in FIBA play and became close friends, but the duo nearly teamed up in San Antonio too.

The Spurs drafted Ginobili as a 22-year-old in the second round in 1999 and waited three years before he arrived in the Alamo. In the 2002 draft, they took a similar shot on Scola. They were willing to wait, but not quite long enough. San Antonio traded Scola's rights to the Rockets in July 2007 for a second-round pick.

Scola finally came to the NBA as a 27-year-old and spent the next decade in the league. His unique skill set quickly made him a force. The 6’9 forward averaged 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 25.6 minutes per game.

The San Antonio Spurs did bring on Ginobili’s Argentina teammate Fabricio Oberto in 2005, and he helped the franchise win a championship in 2007. Oberto was not Luis Scola, and it would have been fascinating to watch how the 6’9 forward would have played off the Spurs Big 3, especially during his prime years.