Murray was traded Wednesday from the Spurs to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and a draft swap, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
It's surprising the Spurs were willing to let Murray go for this price given that he's coming off a career year, though it's possible the organization felt that he would not re-sign after his current deal expires following the 2023-24 season. As a 25-year-old last season, Murray made the All-Star team behind 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and a league-leading 2.0 steals in 34.8 minutes. Pairing him next to Trae Young makes much more sense defensively than offensively, but Murray will probably get plenty of chances to run the second unit.
Spurs' Dejounte Murray: Ends season in rough fashion
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Murray had 16 points (5-19 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), nine rebounds, five assists and one block in 34 minutes during Wednesday's 113-103 loss to the Pelicans.
Murray was by no means invisible in the play-in loss, as he led San Antonio with five assists and tied for the team lead with nine rebounds. However, he was largely clamped down on offense by Herbert Jones and finished with a poor 5-for-19 shooting line. Despite the disappointing finale, Murray enjoyed a breakout campaign, finishing as a top-10 fantasy performer by averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 dimes, 8.3 boards, 2.0 steals and 1.3 three-pointers, each of which was a career-best mark.
Murray (illness) notched 17 points (5-15 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 6-6 FT), seven assists, three steals and one rebound across 32 minutes during Sunday's 130-120 loss to the Mavericks.
Before the game, head coach Gregg Popovich heavily implied that Murray, among others, wouldn't see his full workload, but that turned out to be false. Playing for the first time since March 30 after missing five games with an illness, Murray played well into the fourth quarter of a game that didn't carry any postseason implications. While the lack of transparency may have been frustrating for those that rostered him in DFS, the fact that Murray was able to get his wind back before Wednesday's play-in game at New Orleans has to be viewed as a positive.
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Spurs' Dejounte Murray: To see limited action in finale
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Murray will play limited minutes during Sunday's regular-season finale against the Mavericks, Paul Garcia of Project Spurs reports.
Coach Gregg Popovich did not specify just how many minutes Murray will see, but he noted that the star point guard, along with jakob Poeltl, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, will each only play enough to "get a workout and get a rhythm." For DFS purposes, all four players should likely be avoided, but the fact that Murray is back in the lineup after missing five straight games with a non-COVID illness is a very encouraging sign ahead of Wednesday's play-in game against New Orleans.
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Spurs' Dejounte Murray: Available Sunday
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Murray (illness) is not listed on the injury report for Sunday's game against the Mavericks, Ty Jager of PoundingTheRock.com reports.
Murray has missed five straight games due to an illness and subsequent conditioning issues. However, the dynamic point guard is expected to be available Sunday to get his rhythm back ahead of Wednesday's win-or-go-home play-in matchup against the Pelicans.
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Spurs' Dejounte Murray: Out Saturday
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Murray (illness) is out Saturday against the Warriors for reconditioning purposes, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Murray will miss a fifth straight game due to an illness and subsequent conditioning issues. His next chance to play is the Spurs' final regular-season game, Sunday at Dallas.
Murray (illness) is out Thursday against the Timberwolves, Bruno Passos of PoundingTheRock.com reports.
An illness will keep Murray out for a fourth straight game, and he'll have just two more chances to return before the end of the regular season. Tre Jones figures to remain with the starters.
