The San Antonio Spurs may be trying to win now, but one proposed trade would also give them a path to the future - and bring back an NBA All-Star in the process.
De’Aaron Fox has been at the center of plenty of trade chatter, yet the Spurs have shown no interest in moving him at this point. That makes sense on one level.
Fox was an All-Star last season, and San Antonio does not exactly have a deep well of point guard options if he’s taken off the board. Beyond Fox, the Spurs still have Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, but the only other ball-handler on the roster is Jordan McLaughlin.
That’s why a contingency plan matters.
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes floated a deal that would send Fox, Luke Kornet, Atlanta’s 2027 first-round pick, Boston’s 2028 first-round pick, a 2030 first-round pick, Sacramento’s 2031 first-round pick, and three second-rounders to the Pelicans for Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III.
Murphy III would be the prize in that package. He’s one of the better 3-and-D players in the league and would start just about anywhere. In San Antonio, he could push either Devin Vassell or Tobias Harris to the bench, and the Spurs have been tied to him for a while.
Murray would serve a different purpose. In this setup, he’s mostly salary filler, though he’d still give the Spurs a veteran backup behind Harper.
He has a $30.7 million player option in 2027-28, so this would likely be a two-season stop unless something changes. If he can stay healthy, he’d give San Antonio an elite second unit option at point guard.
The Pelicans would get the kind of draft capital that can jump-start a rebuild, while the Spurs would be betting that Tarris Reed can handle backup center duties right away. With four seasons of college basketball behind him, he should be ready for that role.
Murray has appeared in only 45 games over the last two seasons. Still, if he wants a shot at winning, a smaller role in San Antonio could make sense.
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