NBA Free Agency: Grading all 30 teams on trades and signings

NBA Free Agency Grades: San Antonio Spurs

Signings: Keldon Johnson (4 year, $80 million extension); Gorgui Dieng (1 year)

Trades: Dejounte Murray, Jock Landale for Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks, pick swap

Last season the San Antonio Spurs tried to compete early in the year, and then accepted the path before them as the season went on, fully embracing their rebuild by trading Derrick White at the deadline and then moving first-time All-Star Dejoue Murray this summer. Their moves now and moving forward have to be evaluated in the light of a team tearing things down and setting up for the future.

In any context, however, the Spurs got great value back for Murray. He is not one of the 24 best players in the league despite his All-Star nod, and the Spurs got multiple unprotected picks and a swap in the deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Given that he was a given to hit unrestricted free agency in two years, a span of time in which the Spurs are unlikely to compete, and the deal was a slam dunk.

The Keldon Johnson deal also looks like a steal, especially in the context of a growing salary cap. Johnson is a combo forward who has gotten better every season in the league and last season averaged 17 points per game including 39.8 percent from deep. That’s exactly the sort of player you lock up early.

The Spurs haven’t leveraged their cap space for much of anything this summer, but otherwise, their two primary moves were both excellent values.

Grade: A-