Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G Dejounte Murray, G Devin Vassell, F Doug McDermott
San Antonio Spurs Receive: G/F Ben Simmons
Dejounte Murray has always been a key talking point in trade talks for the Spurs revolving around Ben Simmons and his value has definitely increased since the start of the season.
Being in the running for early season Most Improved Player, Murray has turned himself not only into an impactful two-way guard in this league, but someone who can potentially average a triple-double like Russell Westbrook.
Through 22 games this season, Dejounte Murray is averaging 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.0 steals and is shooting 44.9% from the floor, 34.1% from three-point range. Next to Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris, he could be that third key talent they need to make a push for a championship and Murray definitely has what it takes to make them better on both ends of the floor.
Not really being much of a shooter, Murray does a lot of his scoring off of pick-and-roll sets and in transition, where he is very hard to stop because of his athleticism and explosiveness.
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While he is a ball-dominant and reliant player in San Antonio, he could actually find success next to Embiid and Harris because of his playmaking abilities.
The Philadelphia 76ers would not have to be so reliant on Embiid to make every single play for this offense and instead, they could actually play through Dejounte Murray being their team’s main facilitator and ball-handler, allowing Joel Embiid to do what he does best in the low-post on post-up opportunities.
As for San Antonio, they need a difference-maker on their team and someone who is not only a star now, but can be one for many years to come as they complete their rebuild and look to become a championship contender in the Western Conference again.
Ben Simmons has not played in a while and durability this season could be a concern for him if the Spurs were to acquire him in February from the 76ers, but he is one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA and at 25-years-old, is someone this organization can build around for the foreseeable future.
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However, giving up Dejounte Murray, Devin Vassell and Doug McDermott takes away a lot of production from this Spurs roster, taking away about 33.6% of their total scoring on the season. Is this a risk the Spurs are willing to take in order to acquire an All-Star-level talent?
