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While watching Saturday night's Game 7 between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, you might have noticed a lesser-known guy making everything. That guy is Julian Champagnie, who shot a key 6-of-10 from the 3-point line to help the Spurs win the Western Conference and make the 2026 NBA Finals.
What you might not know is that the Philadelphia 76ers once had Champagnie, one of the young Spurs' best role players, and just gave him away. That's right. On top of basically giving away sharpshooter Jared McCain to the Thunder this year, Philadelphia's former team president, Daryl Morey, decided to waive Champagnie three years ago, a cheap, 24-year-old who shoots 38 percent from the 3-point line, so he could make room for Mac McClung to participate and ... represent the 76ers in the Dunk Contest?
Oof. C'mon now. Talk about a completely unserious basketball move.
ESPN's Shams Charania's tweet from the move is probably so hard to read now if you're the 76ers or a 76ers fan:
Sure, maybe Champagnie never becomes the sort of winning player he is now if he stays in Philadelphia. And sure, maybe it's a little harsh to blame Morey for not realizing what he had. Scouting mistakes are understandable.
But that's the difference between a basketball executive like Morey and the Spurs, who have proven to be one of the NBA's best organizations over the last three decades. The Spurs have an impeccably strong culture and development program that allows players like Champagnie to be the best version of themselves. They sign and empower young guys like Champagnie because that's how you get them to perform at their peak. Morey, meanwhile, waives them for charades like a dunk contest that the greater NBA community no longer cares about.
Sorry, 76ers fans. If Champagnie goes off at any point during these upcoming NBA Finals, know that it's not your fault. It was Morey's.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Julian Champagnie thriving for Spurs is another Daryl Morey oversight
Continue reading...
What you might not know is that the Philadelphia 76ers once had Champagnie, one of the young Spurs' best role players, and just gave him away. That's right. On top of basically giving away sharpshooter Jared McCain to the Thunder this year, Philadelphia's former team president, Daryl Morey, decided to waive Champagnie three years ago, a cheap, 24-year-old who shoots 38 percent from the 3-point line, so he could make room for Mac McClung to participate and ... represent the 76ers in the Dunk Contest?
Oof. C'mon now. Talk about a completely unserious basketball move.
ESPN's Shams Charania's tweet from the move is probably so hard to read now if you're the 76ers or a 76ers fan:
Sure, maybe Champagnie never becomes the sort of winning player he is now if he stays in Philadelphia. And sure, maybe it's a little harsh to blame Morey for not realizing what he had. Scouting mistakes are understandable.
But that's the difference between a basketball executive like Morey and the Spurs, who have proven to be one of the NBA's best organizations over the last three decades. The Spurs have an impeccably strong culture and development program that allows players like Champagnie to be the best version of themselves. They sign and empower young guys like Champagnie because that's how you get them to perform at their peak. Morey, meanwhile, waives them for charades like a dunk contest that the greater NBA community no longer cares about.
Sorry, 76ers fans. If Champagnie goes off at any point during these upcoming NBA Finals, know that it's not your fault. It was Morey's.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Julian Champagnie thriving for Spurs is another Daryl Morey oversight
Continue reading...
