The San Antonio Spurs have proven that they can hang with some of the best teams in the Western Conference, so now is the time for them to add marquee scoring talent.
Do you think the Spurs should make the mock trade below?
The San Antonio Spurs were expected to be in the playoff hunt, but fourth place in the crowded Western Conference? Even after Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Victor Wembanyama have missed significant time already?
It's safe to say that the Spurs are ahead of schedule.
After beating the Denver Nuggets, punching their ticket to the NBA Cup knockout round, there's a case to be made that the Spurs should stay the course and let their roster develop. On the other hand, the Spurs have the chips to go all in now, and they don't have to mortgage their future to do it.
On the other side of the Southwest Division, the New Orleans Pelicans are in a tailspin. Boasting the worst record in the West, their season is already over, and they don't even own their own draft pick in 2026 to help them rebuild. Fortunately, they have some trade assets. Luckily for the Spurs, New Orleans' desperation will prevent them from driving a hard bargain.
“Can they trade Trey Murphy? Can they trade Herb Jones?” asked Danny Green on his Inside the Green Room podcast. “Yeah, they can move some pieces to make it look better or be better.”
Both Murphy III and Jones would fit in very well with the Spurs, although Murphy III offers more offensive volume.
This season, he is averaging 19.7 points on 37.1% shooting from deep.
"I would almost say he is the one person on that team that could maybe save them from themselves, in the sense that he’s still a valued commodity in this NBA, and you could trade him and potentially get back in the lottery mix for next year," added Harrison Sanford of Murphy III.
The Spurs have the means to add him.
Full Mock Trade Details
- San Antonio Spurs Receive: Trey Murphy III
- New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, 2026 first-round pick swap (via ATL, top-eight protected), 2031 first-round pick swap (via SAC, top-eight protected)
Barnes and Olynyk have both been proven, solid veterans for the Spurs. Sending either of them to New Orleans seems to be a disservice, although there's no question that Murphy III would be an upgrade.
San Antonio could trot out a starting five of Fox, Castle, Murphy III, Jeremy Sochan, and Wembanyama while keeping Harper, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Luke Kornet, and Keldon Johnson all on the bench. Would it be an upgrade as the Spurs pursue a deep playoff run?
Absolutely.