The Hornets Spent a Future Clippers Pick on a Guard
New Orleans acquired Curtis Jerrells from San Antonio on October 18, 2010. The Hornets surrendered a conditional second-round selection in the 2014 draft, originally obtained from the Clippers earlier that year in the Bobby Brown trade. The pick was top-55 protected, making it valuable only if it ended near the bottom of the second round. Jerrells had experience with the Spurs' developmental program and overseas basketball, offering the Hornets another guard to evaluate as the new season approached. The transaction was an exchange of a future draft asset for a present roster audition.
Jerrells Was Released Before Playing a Hornets Game
The trial lasted less than a week. New Orleans waived Jerrells on October 24, 2010, before the regular season began. He consequently appeared in no NBA regular-season games for the Hornets and contributed no minutes, points or assists to the receiving club. His extensive subsequent overseas career was genuine professional basketball work but did not count as New Orleans production. Nor do prior developmental-league appearances for the Spurs become Hornets statistics. The acquisition served only a short-term attempt to inspect another backcourt option.
The Conditional Pick Ultimately Conveyed as No. 58
The draft choice sent to San Antonio was the same Clippers-origin pick that the Hornets had acquired in January 2010. It eventually landed at No. 58 in the 2014 draft, satisfying its top-55 protection and retaining genuine draft value. Historical pick-chain records associate it with Jordan McRae, though the pick subsequently moved through other transactions. McRae did not become a Spurs regular-season player by virtue of this particular trade. The benefit San Antonio received here was a future second-round selection that it could keep or use as part of another deal, not his later scoring statistics.
A Real Future Pick Was Better Than a Camp Cut
San Antonio converted a player it was prepared to move into a selection that ultimately became real draft compensation. The Hornets traded away that option and received a guard who never appeared in an NBA game for them. This disparity explains the favorable Spurs verdict. Yet an A- grade for San Antonio is too high when the return was one late second-round pick rather than a long-term starter. Recognizing the selection's successful conveyance and the lack of Hornets playing time supports a solid but limited San Antonio advantage.
Final Verdict
Spurs Win. San Antonio earns B- for a Clippers-origin 2014 second-round pick that ultimately conveyed at No. 58 and retained trade value. New Orleans receives D+ because Curtis Jerrells was waived October 24, 2010, before making a Hornets regular-season appearance. Jordan McRae's eventual NBA career happened after later pick movements and cannot be assigned directly to San Antonio's incoming player production.