Atlanta Exchanged Sanikidze’s Rights for a Future Second
On June 24, 2004, Atlanta sent the draft rights to Georgian forward Viktor Sanikidze to San Antonio. The Hawks received cash and a second-round pick in the 2005 draft, later used at No. 59 on Turkish guard Cenk Akyol. This was a post-draft rights deal rather than a transfer of an NBA playing contract. Sanikidze had been selected with the No. 42 choice one day after the June 23 expansion trades, and the Spurs were willing to keep his rights as an overseas-development option. Atlanta accepted financial compensation and an additional late pick. The league’s dated transaction register and Hawks season history show the asset flow plainly.
Sanikidze Remained Overseas Rather Than Joining the Spurs
Sanikidze played professionally in Europe, including seasons in France and Italy, but he did not appear in an NBA regular-season game for San Antonio. The franchise held rights to a talented international prospect and never converted them into actual Spurs minutes. That distinction is vital because his successful career abroad does not become San Antonio NBA box-score production. The Spurs’ C grade reflects a speculative long-horizon prospect obtained without surrendering a first-round selection. For a team that already had an established championship core, an overseas stash was a reasonable use of a second-round trade even though it did not generate a rotation player.
Atlanta’s Draft Pick Also Produced No Hawks Games
Atlanta used the acquired No. 59 draft pick on Cenk Akyol in 2005. He also spent his professional career outside the NBA, so the Hawks did not get a direct regular-season contributor from the second-round selection. The cash element created some immediate economic value, but the amount is not documented in the canonical record and should not be invented. Atlanta’s C grade is consistent with the Spurs’ C because both clubs exchanged modest draft-rights possibilities that did not become NBA performers. The rights holders gained optionality, but neither side acquired an NBA center or guard who subsequently filled regular minutes for the receiving team.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. San Antonio receives C for Viktor Sanikidze’s overseas draft rights; Atlanta also gets C for cash considerations and a 2005 second-round pick used at No. 59 on Cenk Akyol. Neither international prospect appeared in an NBA regular-season game for his acquiring franchise.