Spurs keep being vindicated for refusing huge move everyone begged them to make

By now, you've probably heard about the report that Trae Young and Atlanta are working together to find a trade destination for the $45 million point guard. This actually isn't groundbreaking. Spurs fans will recall that the Hawks have been trying to move Young for a while now because San Antonio was on the other side of that rumor. The Silver and Black opted for De'Aaron Fox instead.

Now the Wizards have apparently emerged as a real possibility, but according to Marc Stein, the trade would be "centered around CJ McCollum's expiring contract." That's a pretty heavy indictment against an alleged star player, if you ask me.

Young is 28 years old. He's in his athletic prime. Atlanta gave him a max deal because he's supposed to be a star talent. Now he's about to wind up in Washington, and the compensation is only a measly expiring deal for aging McCollum, who, no disrespect, has never been a major needle mover. Plenty of fans, writers, and pundits wanted the Spurs to trade for Trae; these latest reports show why they were right to decline.

Spurs avoided a costly mistake

The fans weren't the only ones who were asking for Brian Wright to bring the long-range gunner aboard. He was also reportedly interested in making his way to Alamo City. The Spurs had (and still have) the assets to make that trade if they wanted to, but they decided against it. They were patient instead, and before long, Fox became available.

Swipa isn't just bigger than Ice Trae; he's faster, a more reliable scorer, and a better defender. All of those things matter in an NBA that seems to be getting larger. These ginormous athletes are coming into the league with the versatility to do everything on the court. You must have the size to counteract the good teams that play with those styles. Fox gives them that.

You also have to believe that the Spurs would have had a handshake agreement with Trae, just as they did with De'Aaron. When it was time to extend their newly acquired point guard, critics thought they should trade him instead. They drafted Dylan Harper, so the belief was that they didn't need another playmaker. But that was never going to happen.

San Antonio had reportedly already told Fox they would extend his contract when they had the opportunity to do so. They couldn't go back on their word, and they wouldn't have done that to Young either. Fortunately, that's not the position they're in anyway. Spurs GM Brian Wright made the right deal with the right team. That's been reinforced repeatedly in a very short amount of time.