The San Antonio Spurs are going to be a team people keep an eye on this season. Not because they are expected to be contenders for the NBA Finals, but because there could be some drastic changes coming.
Head coach Gregg Popovich is coming to the end of his tenure. It will be an end of an era once the legendary head coach steps away, as he has been leading the way for the Spurs since he took over midway through the 1996-97 season.
He is one of the best to ever do it, but the product on the court has been waning in recent seasons. Gone are the times of the Spurs being perennial contenders and a lynchpin of the postseason. They are a middle-of-the-road team that will need to catch some breaks to even make the NBA Play-In Tournament this year.
With a rebuild possibly on the horizon, the Spurs could be open for business. There was a mass exodus of veterans this offseason, as DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, and Patty Mills all went elsewhere, following the buyout of LaMarcus Aldridge last season.
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Arguably the biggest trade chip that the Spurs currently have is Dejounte Murray. Bleacher Report named him as one surprising player that could be on the move at the deadline and it makes some sense.
If the Spurs are going to enter a teardown, compiling assets is a necessity. Murray would bring back the best package of anyone currently on the team that the organization may consider parting ways with.
The team selected point guard Joshua Primo with their first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Primo was the youngest prospect in this year’s class as he won’t turn 19 until December 24th. If he shows development in the G League, he could make the Spurs comfortable enough to shop Murray.
Murray is off to an excellent start this season. He has already put together the second three-game stretch of 20-plus scoring performances in his career. The first of those games was an impressive triple-double against the Los Angeles Lakers when he scored 21 points with 15 assists and 12 rebounds.
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He currently has the highest usage rate of his career, but his turnover rate is at the second-lowest, essentially on par with his number from last season, which was his career low. San Antonio could try packaging him in a deal for Ben Simmons, but the Philadelphia 76ers reportedly aren’t too high on him and Lonnie Walker IV.
So, if the Spurs become sellers and Primo excels, Dejounte Murray is someone the team could look to move. At 25-years old with career highs looking like a real possibility across the board, the San Antonio Spurs should land quite a haul for him.
