Spurs take Washington guard Dejounte Murray in first round
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs selected guard Dejounte Murray of Washington with the 29th pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night as they enter another uncertain offseason.
The 6-foot-5 Murray averaged 16.1 points and 4.5 assists in his lone season with the Huskies. He can play either point guard or shooting guard, but is projected as a point guard in the NBA.
San Antonio traded its second round pick, No. 59 overall, to the Sacramento Kings last season for Ray McCallum. The Spurs waived McCallum on Feb. 29 to sign Andre Miller in hopes the veteran point guard would provide depth for a deep postseason run that never materialized.
San Antonio lost to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals after winning a franchise-record 67 regular season games, including matching a league record with a 40-1 home record.
The possible retirements of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili leave the Spurs unsure of next season's roster for the season straight year after nearly a decade of stability.
Ginobili declined his $2.9 million player option for the 2016-17 season, allowing him more time to mull retirement or free agency. The 14-year veteran is expected to return to the Spurs for another season if he opts not to retire.
San Antonio has nine players under contract, but Duncan has until June 29 to pick up the option on his contract and the Spurs have a team option on Boris Diaw. If they do not waive Diaw by June 30, his $7 million contract becomes guaranteed.
San Antonio owns the rights to 11 draft picks who are playing overseas, including last year's 26th pick, Nikola Milutinov of Serbia, and Davis Bertans of Latvia. Bertans, a 6-foot-10 forward with 3-point range, has expressed interest in coming to the NBA next season to play with the Spurs.
