Oh, how time has passed …
After Wednesday morning's blockbuster trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for estranged forward Kawhi Leonard, the lone player from the 2009 NBA Draft to still remain with the team that drafted him is none other than Stephen Curry.
Funny how time flies. It was only nine years ago that Curry was chomping at the bit to get a chance to play for the New York Knicks, but he was scooped a pick early by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh overall selection.
Notable products of this draft like Blake Griffin (No. 1 overall), James Harden (No. 3), and now DeRozan (No. 9) have found new homes since they were drafted — a true testament of how this era of player movement has greatly affected what we expect out of the league and how difficult it is for franchises to retain their stars.
The Warriors played it close, gambling on Curry's health by offering him a four-year, $44 million deal after sustaining a myriad of ankle-related setbacks early in his career. He paid them in full with two championships and two MVP trophies before his deal expired, finally cashing in last offseason with a five-year, $201 million supermax deal.
Four of the top-10 picks of the 2009 NBA Draft are now out of the league altogether, including No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet and sixth overall selection Jonny Flynn. Nine out of the top-15 have been long-gone from the NBA, showing just how tough it is for a player to stick in the best league in the world, let alone remain with the team that once selected him.
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