The San Antonio Spurs add another solid piece to their reworked roster, trading for Sacramento Kings guard Ray McCallum.
The San Antonio Spurs knew that in order to stay atop the NBA, they were going to need to come into the offseason and retool the roster to not only add more depth, but to also get younger in the process. Thus far, it looks like R.C. Buford is doing just that for Gregg Popovich and company.
The latest move was struck on Thursday morning, when the Spurs swung a deal with the Sacramento Kings by acquiring back-up point guard Ray McCallum in exchange for a future second round pick. The trade was first reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.
As noted by Stein, the trade for McCallum was necessitated by the loss of Cory Joseph, who signed a 4-year, $30 million deal with Toronto Raptors. Joseph, who served primarily as the back-up point guard to Tony Parker and played admirably when Parker was hurt, provided the Spurs with 18.3 minuted per game during the 2014-15 season. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.8 assists per game.
Needless to say, the Spurs needed to fill those minutes and the acquisition of McCallum does that in spades. In 68 games with the Kings last season, McCallum averaged 21.1 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.6 rebounds. However, those numbers grew when McCallum was a starter, when in 30 games he provided 11.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per night while playing 30+ minutes per game.
Never a strong shooter from behind the arch, Ray McCallum nevertheless showed a propensity for filling up baskets while being a three-year starter at the University of Detroit Mercy. In 102 games for the Titans, McCallum averaged 15.9 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. The led to McCallum being the 36th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.
McCallum may not be a legitimate starting option for the Spurs long-term, but he fills an immediate need for the club and will provide some solid minutes off the bench. Given his reputation as a strong defender and hard worker, McCallum will fit well into the Spurs’ system and could become a favorite of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich.
And if there is anything the Spurs have proven over the years, it is that if a guy fits into their system he doesn’t need to be a star to help them win a championship.
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