Spurs' bold trade-heist of Kings is finally complete after DeMar DeRozan waiving

The Sacramento Kings' decision to waive DeMar DeRozan surprised many and delighted the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs previously facilitated the trade that sent him to the Chicago Bulls and later used one of those assets to acquire De'Aaron Fox from the Kings.

However, the Spurs pulled off another trade involving DeRozan and the Kings. One in which he was signed and traded to Sacramento while San Antonio received Harrison Barnes and an unprotected 2031 pick swap.

That deal gave San Antonio a starter for a year and a half and a valuable veteran voice in Barnes. It also gave them possibly their best asset with that pick swap. Now with no DeRozan, it signals a full-scale rebuild for the Kings.

The Spurs officially heisted the Sacramento Kings twice

The Spurs owning that pick swap could be huge for both teams. Huge for the Silver and Black in the sense that they could have a high lottery pick in 2031 while also being one of the best teams in the NBA.

For the Kings, they have made the playoffs just once in the last 18 years. It's hard to imagine that changing much in five years.

Even so, the NBA Draft lottery rule changes may throw a wrench into those pick swap plans for the Spurs. The Kings would need to have a record in the 4-11 range to ensure the best-possible pick.

Still, landing, say, the eighth pick when the Spurs would otherwise be selecting in the late 20s is a big deal. Particularly with the Spurs set to become massively expensive in just two seasons.

The Spurs set the Kings up for failure with the DeMar DeRozan trade

The Spurs knew firsthand all about DeRozan when they helped to sign-and-trade him to the Kings. He is a floor raiser, as evident by his three seasons in San Antonio, but not a ceiling raiser.

To his credit, it's hard to raise the floor when the Kings are in the basement, so DeRozan in Sacramento was never going to work out. The fact that the Spurs got Barnes and a pick swap basically for facilitating that deal is highway robbery.

Those are the type of moves that GM Brian Wright has perfected. They may not look all that impressive at first glance, but they usually age very well. The jury is still out on the Fox trade after his struggles in the NBA Finals, but he could be in for a bounceback year next season.

However, it's clear that the Spurs absolutely won the 3-team trade that sent DeRozan to the Kings. That could be the gift that keeps giving, with that pick swap possibly becoming a lottery selection for San Antonio.

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