Spanoulis Worth $4 Million!

I'll admit it: the Luis Scola and Jackie Butler for Vassilis Spanoulis trade never made much sense to me.

Trading Butler made sense. Back in January, I asked SpursDynasty readers, "Who should the Spurs trade?" The top choices were Beno Udrih, Eric Williams and Jackie Butler - no surprises there.

But why give up the rights to Luis Scola? Scola is "generally regarded as one of the best players in Europe." And the Spurs had already waited five years to bring him to the NBA.

I wasn't alone in initially thinking that this trade was nuts. SpursReport readers were absolutely apoplectic, arguing that the trade was "dumb," "lame," "seriously depressing" and that it would "haunt the Spurs for years to come."

So why exactly would we trade Buter and the rights to Scola for a player who averaged 2.7 points, 0.9 assists and 8.8 minutes in just 31 games last year? Now, a reason has presented itself.

"As an organization, we felt responsible to allow Luis to pursue his dream of the NBA," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said, "and this was the best opportunity to realize his value."

While the trade potentially landed Houston a starting power forward, it did little for the Spurs other than reduce their payroll and open up a roster spot. The trade removed the $2.4 million Butler was due to make this season, and the Spurs also might not have to pay Spanoulis the $1.9 million he is slated to earn.