Marquese Chriss’ time with the San Antonio Spurs already has come to an end.
The former Warriors center was released by the Spurs on Sunday, the team announced. The move is in order to free up a spot for veteran center Gorgui Dieng to sign with San Antonio, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Sunday citing league sources.
Chriss was traded to the Spurs on deadline day last week along with cash considerations for the draft rights to 2015 second-round pick Cady Lalanne, who currently is playing in the Korean Basketball League.
Chriss suffered a leg fracture just a few games into the season and it remains unclear whether there is a chance he will return to the court in 2020-21.
Dieng was one of the top centers available in the buyout market after being waived on Friday by the Memphis Grizzlies.
RELATED: Wiseman bounces back, looks more comfortable in loss to Hawks
The Warriors will not be able to re-sign Chriss for a year due to the so-called “Zydrunas Ilgauskas rule,” which puts a restriction on a team re-signing a player after trading him in the same league year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Ilgauskas at the trade deadline in 2010, and after the then-30 day waiting period following his buyout from the Washington Wizards, Ilgauskas came back and signed a new deal in Cleveland. The next collective bargaining agreement created a rule that forced teams to wait a year before being able to re-sign a traded player.
With the season winding down and Chriss still being injured, a reunion wouldn’t have been likely before the end of the 2020-21 campaign. Once he is healthy and available in NBA free agency, assuming he doesn’t get a deal from someone before then, the Warriors would be able to bring him in once the league year turns over on July 1.
The Warriors have yet to fill the roster spots vacated by Chriss and Brad Wanamaker being traded on deadline day, although reports indicate that current two-way wing Juan Toscano-Anderson could be a candidate to slide into one of those slots.
