NBA Trade Rumors: San Antonio Spurs open to trading Dejounte Murray and Derrick White
The San Antonio Spurs could be an active team in the open market this summer as per the latest NBA trade rumors. They finished 10th in the Western Conference during the 2020-21 season with a 33-39 record and missed out on the playoffs.
The San Antonio Spurs have a pivotal offseason coming up. Their seasoned veterans such as DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay and Patty Mills are all turning into free agents. They'll have roughly $49 million in cap space and can use it to become a competitive team. Or they could just go for a full-blown rebuild.
Depending on what their decision is, guards Dejounte Murray and Derrick White could both be on the table as per The Athletic's Zach Harper. Harper wrote:
"While it seems unlikely the Spurs would move their pick, keep an eye on them being active with the trade machine around the draft. The Spurs have to figure out where they want to be as a franchise and what their plan is moving forward. Theyβre kind of stuck in the middle right now. Murray and Derrick White could both be gettable, according to league sources."
NBA Trade Rumors: What's next for the San Antonio Spurs?
Given that they're going to have an extremely young core for the 2021-22 season, this would be the correct time for the San Antonio Spurs to embrace a rebuild. They've missed out on the playoffs in successive years for the first time under head coach Gregg Popovich. Coach Pop's future is shrouded in mystery too.
The San Antonio Spurs would have to decide on the scale of the rebuild, though. If they want to accumulate a ton of assets and build for the long haul, trading the likes of Dejounte Murray and Derrick White makes sense. Both players have developed over the years and are on team-friendly long-term deals. The Spurs can also acquire draft stock by using their cap space to take on bad contracts.
If the idea is to become competitive as quickly as possible, expect the San Antonio Spurs to strike a few deals in the offseason. Their cap situation will allow them to target wantaway stars and premier free agents.
Murray and White are at a stage where they can take their production to the next level. The likes of Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell have tremendous potential, too. Acquiring quality role players in the offseason and adding them to their young core could make the San Antonio Spurs playoff contenders rather quickly.
The Spurs are currently standing at a crossroads. They have multiple options to choose from and the ultimate decision would dictate their level of activity this offseason.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings discussed a Ben Simmons-De'Aaron Fox swap