When the San Antonio Spurs acquired Ray McCallum from the Sacramento Kings, the common response was that the five-time championship-winning franchise made a clever move at the expense of a rebuilding team.
San Antonio has a history of resurrecting players or kick-starting careers, and McCallum—a 6’3″ point guard—fits in the latter category and is viewed as the team’s next project. At worst, the coaching staff can develop him into a rotational piece for when Manu Ginobili retires, perhaps following the 2015-16 season.
But if McCallum steadily improves, the Spurs must also be prepared for the third-year guard to become a valuable commodity when he becomes a free agent next summer.