After the 2022 NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs caused a stir in the league. They traded first-time All-Star Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks amid speculation about Gregg Popovich’s coaching future. He is aboard the rebuilding the organization is undergoing after such a move.
The Spurs traded Murray and Jock Londale to the Hawks for Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and a first-round pick swap. San Antonio is waiving Gallinari as he was only included for the purpose of a pay match.
Why would the Spurs trade a 25-year-old who finishes a season averaging 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.0 steals? With Murray still having two years left on a deal that will see the CBA sign a financial misconduct extension for the All-Star guard, the Spurs were able to strike a deal. San Antonio was only allowed to offer 120 percent of his last annual salary of $17.7 million for the first year of his next contract. He will earn significantly more on his next contract.
Murray would have achieved an unrestricted free hand with the option to sign elsewhere after the final two years of his contract had expired. In such a situation, Spurs would have scratched their heads and wondered why they didn’t take an exchange package sooner and then face a rebuild.
Trae Young and Murray had been discussing the possibility of a collaboration for weeks ahead of the trade. It doesn’t take long to put the pieces of the puzzle together that Murray already had a wandering eye after losing the Play-In tournament.
Immediate trading with Murray allows the Spurs to fully embrace the rebuilding process ahead of a loaded 2023 NBA draft class. With recent changes in lottery odds, there’s no guarantee they’ll land an elite prospect they’re looking for. Regardless, it offers a brighter future than a mediocre team in the play-in tournament.
National media’s notes were mixed on how they perceived Spurs’ return:
CBS Sports: Incomplete
If the Spurs tank succeeds and they pick No. 1 in the 2023 NBA draft, it could count as a league-changing trade. Wembanyama has a chance to be very special. However, the deal places a lot of bets on winning the draft lottery, which isn’t a guarantee given the new flattened odds.
ESPN: A
I understand if Spurs fans are disappointed to trade an All-Star who won’t turn 26 until September and has two years left on his contract. However, the value San Antonio received in return would have been hard to turn down. As Murray moved towards full agency and either increased his salary near the maximum or moved elsewhere, his trade value would have plummeted rapidly.
Sports illustrated: B-
At first glance, I didn’t really like this trade for San Antonio, and I still don’t. I wanted to give them a lower grade, but after extensive discussions with my SI colleagues Jeremy Woo and Michael Pina, I came up with a 2-. Three firsts is a really good haul for Spurs. It’s what the Pelicans acquired for Jrue Holiday, who is a better player than Murray. At the same time, I can’t bring myself to celebrate San Antonio and essentially give up a native star in favor of a tank.
The athlete: D
The only thing keeping this from being an absolute F for Spurs is that it looks like they will drop so far in the standings that they have about a 14 percent chance of finishing No. 1 and picking Wembanyama in 2023. If they tank up on that lottery luck, it’s a much cheaper trade and a much cheaper note. Don’t know Wembanyama? Instead of hoping that screen assistants will become an accepted statistic, consider if Rudy Gobert would have waking skills as a prospect. (It hasn’t).
