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Well, that was a whirlwind of a few days. Anyone who claims to have known a week ago that Spurs guard Dejounte Murray was going to be the hottest name out there – trade or free agency – is either clairvoyant or not entirely honest. Sure, the Kyrie Irving spectacle continues to grab headlines, and they have some competition with the Knicks clearing as much space as possible to pursue Dallas’ Jalen Brunson, making him a hot commodity, but it shows something the idea that Murray is the “last piece of the puzzle” that has opposing fans craving a trade.
Here are the latest Murray and Spurs rumors, and this article will be updated as more comes out.
The Spurs have raised their asking price, but that hasn’t deterred the Hawks
We’ve already talked about how the Hawks were the first to try to trade for Murray, reportedly offering three future first-round picks (likely protected) and forward John Collins, but apparently that wasn’t enough to To get the Spurs to bite and get even more teams interested, the Spurs are reportedly raising their asking price to include four first-round picks with little to no protection, according to Spurs Talk’s LJ Ellis.
The Hawks are reportedly still willing to work with it, though it’s increasingly sounding like Collins isn’t the player Spurs want out of the deal. Danilo Gallinari – who always looked like he would make a good spur if he could stay healthy – is the youngest Hawk tied to a potential dealand Kevin Huerter (who is on the verge of extra time), De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu have also been speculated as possible Spurs targets in a deal with Atlanta.
The Mystery East team
The Hawks appear to be favorites to land Murray (if Spurs are indeed willing to trade him), but they are reportedly not the only team trying to negotiate. At one point, the Timberwolves were said to have prepared an “intriguing” package, but it was never revealed what that might be. There have also been reports that an unnamed East team is willing to offer three picks and a “desirable” young player. Who that might be remains a mystery, but one Eastern team that would boast such draft capital and has been linked to the rumors is the Knicks.
Longtime respected NBA reporter Marc Stein said in his recent substack that even if the Knicks put Brunson on a free hand, they could still try to trade for Murray. SportsNet New York’s Ian Bagley reports that while he’s not sure the two teams have spoken yet, rival managers see Murray and Brunson as a good fit. If the Knicks are indeed the mystery team, it’s unclear who that aforementioned “desirable young player” would be – maybe Cam Reddish or RJ Barrett? — but if they put together an offer, we’ll eventually find out what it is.
Do Spurs actually want to trade Murray?
Here’s the ultimate secret. Of course Spurs don’t necessarily want to trade Murray and may not have even considered it, but when offers come listen up, especially when teams get so desperate they’ll give you anything you ask (within league rules of course) . ).
That being said, Gregg Popovich is reportedly the one who will have the final say on whether or not Murray is traded. Selling him would mean Spurs are seriously committed to rebuilding rather than building from mediocrity, but is that what they really want? Or, of course, it’s possible that the right trade might actually start taking them up the ladder instead of dropping them down, but the increasing requests for unprotected first-round picks show that if they go down that route, want all available possibilities for the future.
Rumors will keep popping up on this topic until something happens, whether it’s a completed deal or Spurs closing the doors on trade talks, but in the meantime this will be your thread on the matter and updates will be added as new at the top . Credible rumors are emerging (this doesn’t include Twitter speculation) so stay tuned!
