The San Antonio Spurs are in the NBA Finals, and when you look at the construction of their team, it’s no surprise that they’ve made it this far. Some would say things were coming together when they drafted Victor Wembanyama three years ago, but it’s what they did afterwards that took them to the next level.
Last season before the trade deadline, they acquired De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings, and it proved to be a big move to give Wembanyama some help on the floor. Come to find out, it was close to Darius Garland being traded to the Spurs instead of Fox, according to Rich Paul.
“At first it wasn’t De’Aaron, it was another guard that I represent that I was envisioning going there, because De’Aaron wasn’t wanting to be traded yet.. It was Darius Garland,” Paul said on the Game Over podcast. “He was flustered, he was frustrated and he wanted to get out.. and the Spurs before they got the 2nd pick, they needed a point guard. And I thought next to Wemby, with shooting and all that. And then things changed and he was fine.”
Rich Paul reveals he had Darius Garland lined up for a trade to the Spurs prior to the Fox trade, and that Fox had no problem with being the #2 behind Wemby:
“I remember a trade getting ready to take place and De’Aaron and I were talking about it, and we were talking about… pic.twitter.com/FbSTIaqQ1J
— Wemby Alien Era (@WembyAlienEra) June 3, 2026
After Mike Brown was fired from the Kings, that gave Fox a different perspective on his future, and once he confirmed he was fine with being No. 2 to Wembanyama, Paul sent in the deal.
As for Garland, he had to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the rest of last season, and it didn’t seem like a bad thing, as they finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers.
It wasn’t until this season that Garland was traded, and he’s now with the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s in a situation where he seems to be happy, but now there’s the “What if” factor if he were traded to the Spurs last season.
The post Rich Paul reveals Darius Garland-Spurs trade that almost happened appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Read MoreClutchPoints
