Almost exactly 24 hours before the official start of free agency, a franchise-altering move by the San Antonio Spurs shook the NBA Wednesday evening when the franchise traded All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks in return for a haul of future draft stock and 33-year-old forward Danilo Gallinari, according to multiple reports.
The trade sends San Antonio and Atlanta in two completely different directions when looking at next season and beyond. The Spurs, who now acquire three future first-round picks and a first-round pick swap, are officially in a full rebuild. The Hawks’ newest backcourt of Murray and fellow All-Star Trae Young can put the team back in contention for an Eastern Conference Finals berth after Young led Atlanta just two games short of the NBA Finals in 2021.
Despite the Spurs having room to grow after a 34-48 season and with a centerpiece of Murray, one of the league’s brightest young all-around stars, the trade leaves room to wonder if the Spurs knew that keeping the 25-year-old past the end of his four-year, $64 million deal in the summer of 2024 just wasn’t a possibility.
ESPN insider Brian Windhorst touched on this speculation on The Hoop Collective podcast following the blockbuster trade late Wednesday afternoon. Murray and the Spurs could’ve tied the knot on a potential contract extension as soon as this summer, but he and his agency, Klutch Sports, relayed a different intent.
“He and his agent, Rich Paul, made it known that he was not going to extend his contract with the Spurs this summer,” Windhorst said on the podcast.
Even if an extension didn’t get done before this upcoming season, the Spurs would’ve had a full year to discuss options on extending Murray before his inevitable fall into the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2024. San Antonio and general manager Brian Wright clearly wanted to avoid that situation altogether and opted to trade Murray now for what could be his highest possible value.
“And that wasn’t really necessarily about the Spurs,” Windhorst said. “His contract is about $16 million on average. When you extend your contract, you’re limited into how much of a raise you can get. And it would’ve been probably below his market value as a 25-year-old All-Star. But he pretty much told them, he’s like, ‘I’m probably not going to extend next summer either.'”
Murray’s competitive fire and clear intention on winning was always one of the most forefront and respectable character traits for the Seattle native during his time with the Spurs. As has become a common trend in sports, forcing ones way out of a losing situation in order to find a winning one is an available option, one that Murray could’ve utilized with future mediocrity written all over the wall in San Antonio.
Still, no reports have ever been made of Murray asking the Spurs for a trade at any time. If anything, he’s always been vocal about his love for the city of San Antonio, the fans, and everything in between. But ultimately, his unique competitiveness and desire to win while he’s in his prime could’ve played an underlying factor in the trade.
The Spurs were already likely more than a few seasons away from once again being a playoff contender before Wednesday’s events. Murray’s reported lack of interest in a contract extension reflects that. No clear path toward championship contention, no extension. And it’s hard to blame him.
He never held back his true feelings about what winning meant either. Following the Golden State Warriors’ NBA Finals victory on June 16, Murray posted a video to social media with a simple, yet powerful message. Looking back, it could’ve been a small sign of what was to come based on the polar opposite trajectories he and the Spurs were on.
“I swear this s*** motivation, man,” Murray said on Instagram Live. “I gotta win a f***** championship.”
Now, he has his first real shot at a title in a dominant role, as a Murray-Young duo puts the Hawks in conversation for arguably one of the five-best teams in the East.
Meanwhile, the Spurs are now officially one of the league’s bottom-feeders. And who knows? The Murray deal could only be one of many moves by the front office this offseason in an attempt to dive even deeper into the rebuild.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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