Looking back at the San Antonio Spurs’ best, worst moments of 2022

Dejounte Murray Trade

Without question, the trade of All-Star Dejounte Murray was the biggest news for the Spurs in 2022. Trades like this aren’t a common occurrence for the franchise and this one didn’t go over particularly well at the time. Some fans thought it to be utter nonsense to trade a first time all-star player. Others saw the treasure trove of draft picks coming back and understood the logic. 

It later came out that Murray was not planning on extending his contract. Which made sense because he was certainly worth more than the extension could offer. Even beyond that it was clear he planned to explore other options when he hit unrestricted free agency. It only made sense to move him when his value was at its highest. 

Spurs trade All-Star Dejounte Murray to Atlanta Hawks after 6 seasons in San Antonio

Courtesy, Ronald Cortes/Getty Images Hard Reset

The Murray trade, followed by Lonnie Walker not getting a qualifying offer, gave way to some more unfamiliar territory for fans: a hard rebuild. Since the 1990s, the Spurs as a franchise have either been in the mix, injured, or champions. This is the first time in quite a while that the organization had to pull the plug and really build from the ground up. 

The good news, of course, is that the future looks bright. This next year has two very promising generational talents, along with some other top prospects, available in the NBA Draft. The future picks from the Atlanta Hawks, gained in the Murray trade, are completely unprotected, giving the rebuild some serious extra juice in only a few years. 

This isn’t a pleasant place to be, but the hard reset was necessary and doesn’t look to be very long. The 2022 offseason is laying a foundation for the rest of the decade that looks to be quite exciting. 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver (L) and Jeremy Sochan react after Sochan was drafted with the 9th overall pick by the the San Antonio Spurs during the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2022 in New York City.

Sarah Stier/Getty Images 2022 NBA Draft

Going right along with that hard reset was the 2022 NBA Draft. San Antonio had three first round picks and turned them into Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley. Three young players with great upside. It’s not often that San Antonio has so much youth and this draft brought in even more. With as much of a crap shoot as the draft can be, the Spurs have a history of drafting well and finding talent others might not. With these three picks it was fun to see the potential and how the team was sifting through the talent pool to find its guys.

Joshua Primo #11 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California. 

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Joshua Primo Lawsuit and Dismissal

Twenty Twenty-Two continued to be a strange and uncharacteristic year for the Spurs. In late October, the team announced it had waived former lottery pick and second-year guard Josh Primo. The announcement held no other context but it was later revealed it was due to multiple allegations of Primo exposing himself to women, notably former team psychologist Dr. Hillary Cauthen, who sued the team and Primo. The lawsuits were settled two weeks after filing. 

The story got less national media attention than expected because the NBA had two or three other scandals going on simultaneously. Regardless, it can’t be ignored when talking about 2022.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich celebrates Friday, Mar 11, 2022 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio with San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl (25), left, and San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) after the Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 104-102 to give Popovich 1,336 regular season wins, the most in NBA history.

William Luther Popovich’s Wins

This year can’t be mentioned without talking about Gregg Popovich’s cementation as the GOAT. On March 11, 2022, Coach Pop earned his 1,336th regular season career win, surpassing Don Nelson to put him first on the all-time list. 

“It’s just a testament to a whole lot of people,” Popovich told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “Something like this does not belong to one individual. Basketball’s a team sport. You preach to your players that they have to do it together and that’s certainly been the case in my life with all the wonderful players and coaches, the staff that I’ve been blessed with, the support of this wonderful city. The fans support us no matter what. All of us share in this record. It’s not mine. It’s ours, here in the city.”

It was a momentous occasion. With as much class as one would expect, once the game clock hit 0:00, inking the 104-102 Spurs win in the record books, Pop embraced Utah Jazz head coach Quinn Snyder as well as Dejounte Murray and former Spur Rudy Gay. Then the other players surrounded him with celebration. Greatest of All Time. 

Manu Ginobili poses for a portrait during the 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Tip-Off Celebration & Awards Gala at Mohegan Sun on September 09, 2022 in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Manu Ginobli Hall of Fame and Jersey Ceremonies

Last September, the world witnessed the ultimate role player’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Manu Ginobli’s Hall of Fame ceremony was a special night that encapsulated who he was as a player and teammate, confirming what fans already knew.

A month later, on October 19, the four-time NBA champion saw his No. 20 jersey elevated into the rafters once again, but this time with his Hall of Fame accolade attached. Both ceremonies were spectacles to be held on their own, honoring a once in a lifetime player. 

Coyote mascot of San Antonio Spurs waves a flag during the game between San Antonio Spurs against Miami Heat at Arena Ciudad de Mexico on December 17, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. 

Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images Home Away From Home

On May 17, the Bexar County Commissioners gave the go ahead for the Spurs to play four home games away from AT&T Center for the 2022-23 NBA season. The Spurs will play one game in Mexico City, two games in Austin, and one at the Alamodome as part of the team’s 50th anniversary season. Fan reaction was rather mixed at this announcement, and when the locations were confirmed in August. 

While this idea was met with concerns, fans were reassured that the team had no plans to permanently leave San Antonio. The first of these four games was already a huge success, with the Spurs and Miami Heat playing in front of 20,160 fans in Mexico City on December 17. The Heat won 111-101.

Now what?

Where to go from here? What does 2023 bring? This current season is still relatively young but this roster feels even younger. This coming year will be a lot of study with a hard learning curve. The Spurs don’t generate low IQ players but that comes with some growing pains, which is what fans are seeing now. The rest of this season will bring some fun moments and unexpected joys, everyone will just have to keep watching to find them.