2011 NBA Draft: San Antonio Wins in the Kawhi Leonard-George Hill Trade

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The San Antonio Spurs have excelled in drafting players late in the draft and developing them into solid NBA players. This is no small feat when you consider that many late first round picks don't ever see the light of day on an NBA roster.

But last night the Spurs decided that they were going to move up to get a player they wanted at a value they could afford. San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard was slipping in the draft and San Antonio made a deal the Indiana Pacers couldn't refuse.

There was wide-scale speculation that the Spurs were going to trade disgruntled veteran point guard Tony Parker in the draft. But it was back-up point guard George Hill that was sent packing in exchange for Leonard, showing how privy the Spurs are at marketing their roster.

George Hill is a good point guard, but he'll never be an All-Star like Tony Parker already is. Parker is only 29 years old and when healthy is one of the best players on the team. Not only do the Spurs get younger in the frontcourt with Kawhi Leonard, but they get a top-ten talent for a No.15 overall value.

Greg Popovich is an outstanding coach and one perfect for fixing Leonard's offensive game and fine tuning his defensive game. This marks the beginning of a new era in San Antonio, but with Kawhi Leonard they get a talented young player to learn from the most experienced roster in the NBA.

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