A 3-Team Deal to Trade Dejounte Murray Back to San Antonio Spurs
Less than two years ago, the San Antonio Spurs traded Dejounte Murray (along with Jock Landale) to the Atlanta Hawks for Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and a first-round pick swap.
Now, after the backcourt with Murray and Trae Young has failed to develop much chemistry (the team is minus-1.5 points per 100 possessions in the 2,000-plus minutes those two have shared the floor), Murray's name is stuck in the trade rumor mill again.
And one of the more surprising teams he's been connected to is...the Spurs.
In the wake of those rumors, Murray reportedly said he'd "welcome" such a deal, as coach Gregg Popovich has been like a "father figure" to him.
Atlanta might have to eat a little humble pie in sending Murray back to San Antonio, but there's at least one trade framework that makes sense. You'll see that on the next slide.
For the Spurs, it's really not hard to wrap your head around their interest. Moving Murray helped them land Victor Wembanyama, and they could now use some more dynamic point guard play to, well, spur his development.
So, what kind of deal would put Murray back in San Antonio while also satisfying the Hawks?
Scroll below to find out.
The Trade
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As has become tradition with these three- or four-team trade articles, let's lay out all the details of the trade before we dive into the specific reasons for each team to make the deal.
Atlanta Hawks Receive: Ben Simmons, Sidy Cissoko, a 2024 second-round pick from San Antonio (via Los Angeles), a 2025 first-round pick from San Antonio, a 2027 first-round pick from San Antonio (via Atlanta) and the undoing of a 2026 first-round pick swap with San Antonio
Atlanta Hawks Lose: Dejounte Murray and De'Andre Hunter
Brooklyn Nets Receive: De'Andre Hunter, Doug McDermott and Devonte' Graham
Brooklyn Nets Lose: Ben Simmons and Royce O'Neale
San Antonio Spurs Receive: Dejounte Murray and Royce O'Neale
San Antonio Spurs Lose: Doug McDermott, Devonte' Graham, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2025 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick
Feel free to quibble over some of the smaller contracts or the number of picks involved here. I don't expect you to be convinced by the framework alone.
But before you get out the pitchforks, explanations for every team saying yes are below.
Atlanta Walks Back the Murray Trade
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Atlanta Hawks Receive: Ben Simmons, Sidy Cissoko, a 2024 second-round pick from San Antonio (via Los Angeles), a 2025 first-round pick from San Antonio, a 2027 first-round pick from San Antonio (via Atlanta) and the undoing of a 2026 first-round pick swap with San Antonio
Atlanta Hawks Lose: Dejounte Murray and De'Andre Hunter
This is probably the toughest sell of the three. The Atlanta Hawks are giving up two starters and getting two fliers back.
Ben Simmons has only played in 48 games over the past two and a half seasons (only six in 2023-24), and he's set to make another $40.3 million next season. Sidy Cissoko has only played 32 total minutes in the NBA.
But the former will come off the books in 2024, four years earlier than Murray. The latter is only 19 years old, has a 6'10" wingspan and showed some hints of playmaking upside with the G League Ignite in 2022-23.
Most importantly, this simply ends the Murray-Young experiment that hasn't come close to working, and it does so while recouping most (though not all) of what the Hawks gave up to get Murray.
Atlanta would suddenly have a future again while still being able to compete in the present.
The two-man net rating of Young and Bogdan Bogdanović is seven points better than Young and Murray's. It would obviously get more time without Murray there, and there's plenty of upside in wings like Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin to fill in the minutes vacated by Hunter.
But again, this is mostly about the picks. If Simmons or Cissoko happens to hit, great. If not, at least there's more flexibility and the opportunity to recalibrate around Young sooner.
Nets End the Ben Simmons Era
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Brooklyn Nets Receive: De'Andre Hunter, Doug McDermott and Devonte' Graham
Brooklyn Nets Lose: Ben Simmons and Royce O'Neale
As bad as things have been with the Brooklyn Nets recently, there's still an outside chance they make the playoffs. It'd sure be easier to get there with any production coming from Simmons' roster spot, though.
He's the team's highest-paid player, but he's 12th in total minutes this season and there's still no real timetable for when he'll be back.
This deal gives Brooklyn three outside shooters in place of Simmons and O'Neale, one of which (Hunter) fits into the positionless or switch-heavy philosophy that's accompanied Brooklyn's roster since Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith arrived.
It also dramatically improves the team's flexibility.
Hunter is under contract through 2026-27, but his salary next season is around 60 percent of Simmons'. McDermott's deal expires this summer. While Graham is set to make $12.7 million in 2024-25, only $2.9 million is guaranteed.
Nets fans (and the team's front office) may insist on getting a pick from somewhere, but getting the Hawks to take on the last year of Simmons' contract might make that tough.
Spurs Pair Murray and Wemby
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San Antonio Spurs Receive: Dejounte Murray and Royce O'Neale
San Antonio Spurs Lose: Doug McDermott, Devonte' Graham, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2025 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick
The Spurs have already seemingly abandoned (or at least put on hold) one experiment for the sake of Wembanyama's development.
After playing him at the 4 for much of the early portion of their schedule, they've moved Wemby to center, where he's been legitimately dominant.
Since December 8 (when Zach Collins left the starting lineup), Wembanyama has put up 20.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals in just 26.6 minutes. That's absurd production, especially when you consider the ongoing no-point guard experiment.
On the season, he's played 420 minutes with either of Tre Jones or Graham on the floor. His true shooting percentage in those minutes is 61.1. He's played 552 minutes with both of those guards off the floor, and his true shooting percentage in those lineups is 50.5.
Bringing Murray back to increase those minutes when Wembanyama plays with a real distributor is a no-brainer. The Hawks guard averaged 9.2 assists in his last season with the Spurs. In the season and change he's been with Atlanta, he's averaging 7.6 assists per 75 possessions when Young is off the floor. He can still set up teammates and get them the ball in positions to score.
While it's too late for any kind of trade to push San Antonio toward the play-in mix, Murray is on a pretty team-friendly contract through 2027-28 (when he has a $31.6 million player option). Having him around for the next few years will boost Wembanyama's production and expedite his development.
O'Neale, meanwhile, is here largely for salary-matching purposes and the need for every team to be connected in a three-team trade, but his experience wouldn't hurt.
Of course, the number of picks involved here probably gives Spurs fans some pause, but they're still a net plus-one from the last Murray trade. Keeping Atlanta's 2025 pick (rather than their own) is sort of a bet on themselves for the Cooper Flagg draft.
If the Hawks wind up in that lottery, the Spurs would have an outside shot at adding Flagg to Wembanyama and Murray.
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