San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for the second time in his career, the league announced on Monday. Buford, whose biggest coup was signing LaMarcus Aldridge, edged Portland’s Neil Olshey, the man who lost Aldridge.
R.C. Buford wins NBA Executive of the Year
Buford edged Portland’s Neil Olshey for the honor.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Buford earned nine first-place votes, 10 second-place votes and two third-place votes for a total of 77 points. Olshey actually received more first-place votes (10), but was left off 12 ballots entirely. The award is voted on by the other general managers, who are not allowed to include themselves on their ballots.
Buford earned his honor through his work clearing cap space to woo Aldridge from Portland. The effort took multiple years, but it was only after Buford cleared Tiago Splitter’s salary off the books in a trade with Atlanta that it became possible. Buford was also able to convince Danny Green to sign a below-market contract and helped convince David West to take an $11 million pay cut to help with bench depth.
Olshey, meanwhile, rebounded from losing Aldridge with value contracts for Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis, as well as an under-the-radar trade for Maurice Harkless.
Here is the full voting breakdown:
- R.C. Buford, Spurs 77 points
- Neil Olshely, Blazers: 63
- Bob Myers, Warriors: 38
- Masai Ujiri, Raptors: 18
- Rich Cho, Hornets: 17
- Danny Ainge, Celtics: 13
- David Griffin, Cavaliers: 10
- Stan Van Gundy, Pistons: 6
- Pat Riley, Heat: 6
- Sam Presti, Thunder: 5
- Sam Hinkie, 76ers: 5
- Wes Wilcox, Hawks: 1
- John Hammond, Bucks: 1
- Dennis Lindsey, Jazz: 1
That’s right: Sam Hinkie received one second-place vote and two third-place votes from his peers despite creating the second-worst NBA team of all time and resigning for his efforts.
See More:
