The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the surprise teams in the NBA this season. After finishing with 22 wins in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Spurs currently sit 11th in the Western Conference standings with a 13-13 record.
Most of the Spurs’ success has been due to the play of their superstar center, Victor Wembanyama. Their veteran editions of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, along with their first-round pick, Stephon Castle, have helped the Spurs take another step forward this season.
With the Spurs in the hunt for a Play-In spot, they could look to upgrade their roster before February’s trade deadline. Two players that they could target could be Dejounte Murray and Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of “The Stein Line,” the Pelicans are open to trading anyone on their roster except Herbert Jones, Yves Missi and Trey Murphy III.
Because of this report, both Ingram and Murray are apparently available for trade. In a possible trade, the Spurs could send Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins, Barnes, Tre Jones and draft capital to New Orleans for Ingram and Murray.
With the Pelicans basically already out of the playoff race, adding more young talent and draft picks would set them up better for the future. For the Spurs, acquiring two star players in Ingram and Murray could not only help them reach the Play-In, but make them a deadly team if they were to make the playoffs.
Murray, who the Spurs drafted in 2016, has become one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He has also improved his scoring numbers. So far this season, he is averaging 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game. By reacquiring the 28-year-old, the Spurs would not only have their point guard of the future, but also add another All-Star next to Wembanyama.
Ingram would also add another great scorer to their roster once he returns from his ankle injury. The 27-year-old is averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season in New Orleans. The downfall of trading for him though, is that he will be a free agent after the season, so the Spurs would have to sign him to an extension to avoid losing him.
By making this trade, the Spurs would surround Wembanyama with two All-Stars, which could help them make a run in the playoffs this season.
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