In a rather surprising turn of events, All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray is reportedly being aggressively pursued by multiple teams in the trade market. The Indiana Pacers have not been rumored to be one of those clubs, but should they crash the bidding war for him?
Murray has developed tremendously since being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2016, emerging as the leader of the pack for the Silver and Black which culminated in him getting his first All-Star nod and the Spurs managing to get into the play-in tournament.
However, the Spurs have been fielding calls and are seemingly open to starting from absolute zero this time. While there is some thick competition already, the Pacers should have what it takes to strike a deal for him. Question is, will they be willing to?
Should the Indiana Pacers join the bidding war for Dejounte Murray?
In reality, the Spurs have no reason to trade Dejounte Murray, which is the reason for San Antonio establishing a steep price to acquire his services. LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk said that their asking price is “four first-round draft picks with little to no protections or three minimally protected first-round picks and two unprotected first-round swaps”. He further detailed that “one Eastern Conference club has been offering three first-rounders and a desirable young player” for Murray.
Should the Indiana Pacers want to crash the Murray sweepstakes, they will have to match or exceed that price. However, this is where I think they should draw the line.
In a similar manner, the Pacers have no practical need for Murray. His nightly triple-double and two-way production is plenty attractive of course, but Indiana already has the groundwork to rebuild. Overlaps exists, and Tyrese Haliburton can already provide the scoring and playmaking that the Spurs guard excels in. Bennedict Mathurin also has the potential to be nearly as proficient as Murray on the defensive end.
First-round picks have generally lesser value than still-developing All-Stars like Murray, but Indiana still projects as a lottery team in the near future, making their draft picks attractive. Dangling three to four of them in a trade is not only un-Pacer like, but it is a considerable overreach that could bite them back in the future. Oh, and in addition, the Spurs may not pass up the chance to steal Chris Duarte or another young prospect in return.
The Pacers are arguably much better off pursuing a big man who can catalyze their defense and amplify their offense. Should they desire to accelerate their rebuild, they definitely have options on that regard.
Honestly speaking, the thought of Tyrese Haliburton being joined by Dejounte Murray is a galvanizing thought. However, with the way the Indiana Pacers operate in the present, striking a deal for the Spurs guard may be too expensive to even pursue in view of their actual lack of need for his services.
