San Antonio Spurs: Would trading Dejounte Murray, Derrick White be smart?
Would trading Dejounte Murray, Derrick White be a smart move for the San Antonio Spurs?
The San Antonio Spurs haven’t been true contenders in the Western Conference in a long while. Without a clear, detailed plan of how that could change in the not-so-distant future, it could leave the franchise with one big question this offseason.
Is it time to make a roster-shaking move?
Without a clear franchise-player on the roster, the answer to that question should be a resounding yes.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
And according to a report from The Athletic (subscription required), the Spurs could be a team looking to make a move on NBA Draft night. This report also notes that Dejounte Murray and Derrick White could both be available for the right price.
This leads to a bigger question for the Spurs, should they be open to moving these two young pieces?
White and Murray are two of the team’s young, rising talents and were the team’s two leading-scorers behind DeMar DeRozan this past season. Both averaged roughly 15 points per game and are coming off their best seasons to date, respectively.
What does this report really mean for the San Antonio Spurs?
In trying to read between the lines from this report, I’d have to imagine that the Spurs would be open to trading either one of these players only on the basis of making a legit upgrade to the roster.
With the likelihood that DeRozan will be leaving via free agency, San Antonio would be in the market for another splash move. Since the departure of Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have been good but not good enough in the Western Conference.
Generally, the Spurs are in the exact position that you want to avoid in the NBA – they’re in no man’s land.
It’s unlikely that San Antonio would be able to find their next franchise player with the 12th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but if they could move up, say into the top 5, perhaps it would be worth it to include Murray or White, or both, to a potential trade-up package.
Heading into draft night, the Spurs are absolutely a team to keep an eye on. Gregg Popovich isn’t likely ready to begin an entirely new build and the Spurs have never had to rebuild as a team since the late-90s.
NBA Finals: Game 2 between Bucks-Suns explained in 5 plays. dark. Next
Even though the Spurs are known as one of the most conservative franchises in the league, don’t put it past this front office to possibly make a future-altering move if they believe it will give them the best chance to move their way back up to relevance in the Western Conference.