The San Antonio Spurs claimed small forward Isaiah Roby off waivers on Tuesday, to which the former Nebraska Cornhusker says is a dream come true, per a report from San Antonio CBS affiliate KENS.
The station reported that when he first entered his name into the 2019 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, he thought the Spurs would take him.
However, it was the Detroit Pistons that chose the Dixon, Illinois native with the 45th overall pick.
It didn’t matter to Roby that it took two years with the Oklahoma City Thunder – he was shipped off to the Dallas Mavericks by the Pistons prior – and stints with two NBA G League franchises before he got to his preferred destination.
“It took a little bit longer than draft night four years ago, but I’m happy to be there,” he said, KENS reported.
According to the station, the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Roby averaged 10 points per game (PPG) and shot 51% from the field while with the Thunder.
The Spurs, who were once the NBA’s model of consistency for nearly 20 years, are the midst of a rebuild and believe Roby can lend a hand in the process.
“Let’s get to work,” the 24-year-old tweeted.
KENS reported that Roby can factor into the rebuild with his defensive skills and will likely see action on the floor in the upcoming season.
The offseason has been quite eventful for San Antonio, which finished the 2021-2022 campaign with a 34-48 record.
In last month’s draft, San Antonio sought help up I-35 and used the ninth overall pick to land star Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan.
In what appeared to be their seriousness in starting from scratch, the team traded All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for forward Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks.
The Spurs; however, waived Gallinari, who was subsequently picked up by the Boston Celtics.