Why a reunion with Dejounte Murray makes sense for the Spurs

Murray was a member of the Spurs from when he was drafted 29th overall in 2016 until being traded to the Hawks in June 2022. In the deal, San Antonio received three first-round picks, a pick swap and Danilo Gallinari for Murray and Jock Landale. 

Less than two years after the trade, reacquiring the former All-Star makes sense for the Spurs. 

In his last season with the Spurs in 2021-22, Murray earned an All-Star selection (21.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 9.2 APG), averaging a league-leading two steals per game. That version of Murray would fit well with Victor Wembanyama. 

Wembanyama has been fantastic as a rookie (19.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.1 APG), especially on defense where he leads the NBA with 3.2 blocks per game. 

One issue for the rookie sensation, however, has been efficiency. The seven-foot-four center is only shooting 44.7% from the field and 28.8% from three-point range. Pairing him up with a point guard would help Wembanyama improve those numbers. 

Gregg Popovich has spent most of the season experimenting with Jeremy Sochan (10.9 PPG, 3.9 APG) at the point guard position. An experiment that has not been good for the 6-30 Spurs. Recently, the Spurs have played either Malaki Branham (8.7 PPG, 2.5 APG) or Tre Jones (8.7 PPG, 4.9 APG) as the starting point guard.

Trading for Murray to take that role would make the Spurs more competitive now and most importantly, help Wembanyama grow as a player. 

While the trade makes sense for the Spurs, it also makes sense from the Hawks' perspective. 

Atlanta (15-21) currently sits 11th in the Eastern Conference and appears open to trade negotiations.

Murray has played well with the Hawks during his year-and-a-half with the team, averaging 20.7 points, five rebounds and 5.7 assists in 110 games. But his fit with Trae Young — Atlanta's franchise player — remains questionable. 

The hope for Atlanta was that Young would be open to playing off the ball more often — in a role like Stephen Curry has with the Warriors. That has not happened as Young's usage rate of 30.4 remains high. (Usage rate "is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.")

Murray is not the player who will take the Hawks to the next level and moving on from the Young-Murray backcourt pairing may be for the best. 

By trading Murray, Atlanta would have to admit they made a mistake trading for him and would get a lot less in return than what they originally traded. But for the Hawks to eventually become contenders, it is a concession Atlanta needs to make.

Making that concession could help both franchises in the long run.

The Spurs do not need to force a trade for Murray, but at the very least, getting a starting caliber point guard to pair alongside Wembanyama should be a priority.