21 Days to Trade: Could Dejounte Murray, Spurs Reunite?

With just a few weeks remaining until the NBA's annual trade deadline, the San Antonio Spurs sit in an interesting position. They've found somewhat of a rhythm, but still have a long way to improve — could Dejounte Murray help with that?

DEC. 15, 2023 — A sarcastic Gregg Popovich sits in his assigned seat in the interview room inside the back tunnels at Frost Bank Center in front of a small room of media and recording cameras.

It's pregame. His San Antonio Spurs are set to face a Los Angeles Lakers squad for the second straight game and LeBron James is gearing up to play while he answers reporters' questions. 

It's one of his least favorite parts of being an NBA head coach, which he's made crystal clear throughout his 28-year tenure in San Antonio, but he still does it — though not without an ounce of sarcasm thrown into many of his answers. 

And this particular Friday night, he was feeling extra sarcastic. 

“No, I doubt it,” Popovich remarked when asked if the Spurs would explore the trade market, garnering a laugh from the room in the process. "Why would we do that?"

Oct 2, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich fields questions from reporters during the team's annual pre-season media day / © Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

The reporter went on to explain the obvious answer — that trading for a veteran would allow the Spurs to win more games "now" versus later — which only sparked a more sarcastic comment from Popovich. 

"I’m going to go think about that,” he said.

It might have been in a joking matter, but as the Spurs now sit less than a month away from the trade deadline, the idea isn't so far-fetched. Obviously, there isn't a likely chance for the Spurs to make a deep playoffs run — or even crack the new Play-In Tournament — but would bringing in a veteran be such a bad idea?

And if so, who would San Antonio look to?

Well, how about a player it's already familiar with? 

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Dejounte Murray is a professional.

He's like almost every other player in the NBA when it comes to mindset and hypothetical — that is, he isn't going to come outright and say he wants to play somewhere else unless he's channeling his inner disgruntled superstar. 

And for now, it doesn't seem like that's the case.

"Right now, I'm a Hawk," Murray said when asked about a potential trade somewhere else in the NBA. I'm going to stay professional and play the right way."

So, San Antonio isn't on his mind. Not right now, at least. 

But Gregg Popovich certainly is, at least according to various reports.

"Dennis Scott said Hawks guard Dejounte Murray would welcome a trade back to the Spurs, if such a deal materialized," Marc Stein wrote in The Stein Line. "Because Murray told him Spurs coach Gregg Popovich 'is like a father to [him].'" 

Mar 19, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) after the game at Frost Bank Center / © Daniel Dunn, USA TODAY

As it stands, both sides would have interest in a reunion, and it makes sense why. 

Murray is seemingly stuck as a second option on a Hawks squad in a standstill — sitting one spot out of the Play-In Tournament in the East after falling short in the first round just a season ago. 

That series loss marked a second straight year of being eliminated in the first round after Atlanta — without Murray — made it to the Eastern Conference following the 2020-21 season. And as it looks now, the Hawks just aren't equipped to compete with the top teams in the East. 

San Antonio isn't much better. It's worse in fact, but as it's been with every mock scenario to this point, it has one factor that Atlanta, or any other team, doesn't: Victor Wembanyama. 

The 7-4 rookie has taken the spotlight in South Texas since arriving from France as the No. 1 overall pick. He's chased legacies of past Spurs greats as well as some of his own — promising to deliver a ring to the city "ASAP" — and after an inconsistent start, he's found a groove to continue to make his case for Rookie of the Year as San Antonio has begun to both win and compete in games at home and on the road.

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Pairing the rookie with a bona fide playmaker like Murray — who's proven to be a reliable passer as much as a scorer — would only further Wembanyama's development and give the Spurs a multi-faceted boost that they certainly need.

But first, Murray would have to make amends with a Spurs crowd and organization he dissed pretty harshly a little over one year ago.

"It was a roller coaster," Murray recounted of his rookie season in San Antonio on the All The Smoke Podcast. I used to go home mad. ... Just from not understanding.  ... I'd come to the arena, and they'd [be] like, 'You're not dressing up today.' 

"I [didn't] even get a sports jacket."

Murray went to San Antonio with the penultimate pick of the first round in 2016, and only saw action in 38 games, starting eight of them. He averaged just 3.4 points and 1.3 assists, but as he argued, that was due to a lack of opportunity.

When Murray returned for his second season — the season he'd become a full-time starter for the Spurs — he ran into another issue, standing 6-2 and older than 30.

"That was the year I took the job from Tony Parker," Murray explained. "They saw I [was] coming back, getting stronger, getting better. ... [and] Pop brought us in the office. He told Tony, and he didn't like it. I know he ain't like it because if he liked it, he would've mentored me the way he should have. 

"He wouldn't have went to Charlotte."

Dec 23, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) and guard Dejounte Murray (5) during the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center / © Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Parker's short-lived stint with the Hornets didn't amount to much, but it did make clear that San Antonio's priority lied within its youth. That meant Murray. And as he continued to improve, things seemed to be sweetening up — until they weren't.

Murray, who averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and two steals a game in his final season with the Spurs, was sent to Atlanta along with Jock Landale for Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and a first-round pick swap. 

So, what would Atlanta get if a return deal were to be worked out? 

Here's a possible solution:

SAS receives: Dejounte Murray

ATL receives: Doug McDermott, 2025 1st-Round Pick (via ATL), 2024 (via LAL), 2025, 2026 (via UTA) 2nd-Round Picks

The Hawks have made clear that they want at least two first-round picks for the point guard, so if the Spurs became hellbent on making a deal work, they have first-rounders on either side of the 2025 pick to offer up — though at that point, they'd truly be re-evaluating how much value they place on their former player.

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It might be a far-fetched idea, but with mutual interest, it's certainly possible.

Murray could very-well use a change of scenery, and Wembanyama would certainly benefit from a playmaker as strong as he is, not to mention the Spurs gaining back a familiar face hungry to win.

The only thing left to ponder would be if Murray would be re-embraced by San Antonio. But that's a bridge both parties will cross if it comes. 

Right now, they're simply remaining professional.