The Spurs trimmed their roster to 19 players by waiving former West Virginia standout forward Da’Sean Butler.
After leading West Virginia to the Final Four in 2010, Butler sustained a horrific knee injury in the national semifinals against Duke. After that injury, Butler’s draft status plummeted and eventually was picked up in the second round by Miami.
Butler was waived by the Heat during training camp and spent several months in basketball limbo until he was picked up the Spurs last March. He was immediately placed on the inactive list and worked hard to return to the form he had shown with the Mountaineers.
The Spurs’ roster move indicates they like their depth at small forward. Among the players battling for playing time at the position include Richard Jefferson, rookie Kawhi Leonard and James Anderson among others.
Butler would have had difficulty cracking that rotation. But he will return to West Virginia as one of the most popular players in that school’s basketball history.