Report: Teams Want to Trade for Derrick White and Dejounte Murray
Teams are inquiring about the availability of Derrick White and Dejounte Murray (Photo via PoundingTheRock)
There are naturally a lot of trade rumors flying around right now with the NBA trade deadline coming up on February 10th. Among those have been plenty of rumors regarding the Spurs. Most recently, a report suggests that there are teams interested in picking up Derrick White and Dejounte Murray. Let’s take a look at the latest.
More Than One Team Is Interested in Derrick White and Dejounte Murray
This latest rumor comes from ESPN writer and podcaster Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post. If you jump to around 42:57, you will hear Lowe say, “I’ve also heard … that people are calling the Spurs and trying to see if they can get Derrick White or even Dejounte Murray.”
On its own, that is a pretty vague rumor. “People” could mean just about anyone. We can add it to the other recent vague rumor in this tweet, which quotes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst as saying, “There’s been some chatter in the league about whether the Spurs would be willing to trade [Murray]. Maybe not during the season but next summer.” Well, of course there has been chatter. But chatter does not equal intent.
What are some teams that could potentially do well bringing Murray or White onboard? The New York Knicks have a desperate need for a solid point guard. So, Murray would be a good fit for them. Another possibility would be a move to the Boston Celtics. What about White? As reported here, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said, “Jerami Grant has been frequently mentioned as a primary trade target for the Hawks this deadline, and Atlanta placed a call to San Antonio about Derrick White, sources said. The Spurs and Mavericks have been considered Collins suitors dating back to the 2020 offseason.”
Is San Antonio Likely to Trade Derrick White and Dejounte Murray?
We have now gone over a few of the possibilities for trades involving Murray and White. But how likely are they to happen for real? As of right now, Murray’s contract extends through 2023-2024. White’s contract runs through 2024-2025. These contract lengths will be a factor in any trade decisions regarding the two players.
As we recently said in another post, we do not think it is likely that the Spurs would trade away Dejounte Murray at this time unless they receive an extraordinary offer. He is a critical core player, and the team and strategy are structured in part around him. Trading him away would be a significant setback. In fact, he is arguably one of the last players the team should even consider trading if they want to keep developing what they have been building.
As for White, his consistency and skill make him a valuable asset to the Spurs, so he should not be traded lightly. At the same time, he seems a more likely trade than Murray, especially if there is a chance that the Hawks would be willing to part with John Collins. White would be a good fit for the Hawks, and Collins would be a good fit for the Spurs. So, the logic is definitely there. As far as we can tell, the interest is there too.
Of course, it is important to keep in mind that at this stage, all of this is just rumor and speculation. We will just have to wait to see what happens with both Derrick White and Dejounte Murray. But with February 10th coming up fast, we will not have to wait long to find out what is next for the Spurs, the Hawks, the Knicks, and the other teams involved with these rumors.