Spurs look genius as drafting Jayden Quaintance makes Dejounte Murray trade even better

The San Antonio Spurs wisely moved on from Dejounte Murray at the peak of his value, and they just drafted a big man with immense upside in Jayden Quaintance as part of the return. Murray had just made his lone All-Star appearance, and the Spurs were in the middle of a rebuild. The deal helped San Antonio bottom out and get Victor Wembanyama, along with netting them three first-round draft picks. They still own the Hawks' first in 2027 unprotected from this one.

San Antonio got Carter Bryant in the 2025 lottery from this trade, but a strong close to the season by the Hawks prevented the Spurs from grabbing another top 14 pick. They had to settle for swapping 29 for 20, but it was still massive. Most draft experts saw the cutoff for first-round graded prospects around 25 in this class, and Quaintance is arguably the best defensive big man. He only fell this far because of injury questions, but Wemby gives him the perfect situation to get fully healthy.

Murray has put up numbers, but his team has made the playoffs just once since leaving San Antonio. This was a wise move that cleared the deck for the Spurs' current core. The trade will keep looking better as Bryant continues to blossom, and San Antonio is not done benefiting.

Spurs look genius for the Dejounte Murray trade after the latest draft pick

They wisely sold high on Murray. Even during his All-Star season, the Spurs won 34 games and missed the playoffs. Murray put up monster numbers, but his struggles to space the floor limited his team’s upside. San Antonio knew they needed an upgrade to get back into contention, and unprotected draft picks were the easiest path to acquiring a superstar.

Here is a look at the full details of the Spurs’ Dejounte Murray trade from 2022.

Spurs received: Danilo Gallinari, Carter Bryant, Jayden Quaintance, 2027 1st round pick
Hawks got: Dejounte Murray, Jock Landale, and Alex Karaban

The Spurs hope Bryant blossoms into the ideal 3-and-D forward to put around Wemby, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. They just added Quaintance and get the Hawks’ 2027 unprotected first-rounder. Atlanta is projected to make the playoffs, but teams can always find value in the draft.

The Hawks traded this pick to Cleveland in the De'Andre Hunter deal. The Cavaliers sent it to the Kings on draft night, so Sacramento ended up with Alex Karaban.

San Antonio shockingly reached the NBA Finals in their first season back in the playoffs. Wembanyama arrived ahead of schedule and nearly won the Spurs a championship as a 22-year-old. Castle and Harper are even younger. San Antonio has the best young core in the NBA, and they don’t build it without trading Murray to the Hawks.

Dejounte spent just two seasons in Atlanta before he was traded to the Pelicans for Dyson Daniels and two first-round draft picks. His time with the Hawks was a disaster, but credit to Atlanta for getting significant value when they moved on.

The San Antonio Spurs look genius for trading Dejounte Murray at the peak of his value, and the franchise is still reaping the rewards. This 2026 pick swap helped the Spurs draft Quaintance to add to their young core. They wanted a long-term backup for Wemby, and got it in this draft. Good luck scoring on the Spurs if Quaintance can stay healthy.

San Antonio will get the final piece from this trade in 2027, but it is already a win for the Spurs. It set them up to get three straight high lottery picks and build their current core. That alone makes this trade genius. It took some luck, but the Spurs are no strangers to seeing the ping pong balls bounce the right way. They put themselves in position and are back in contention for years to come.

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