Spurs become ultimate victors of Dejounte Murray trade as draft pick takes off

The San Antonio Spurs continue to reap the rewards of trades that they made years ago, setting up their current team for dominance and sustained excellence. That includes trading away Dejounte Murray, getting back multiple draft picks -- including the one that would become Carter Bryant.

Evaluating rookie players on title contenders is always a difficult task. If a team is good enough to compete for a championship, they rarely have rookies playing key roles.

That is something unique about the Spurs, to be certain, as Dylan Harper is averaging 22 minutes per game for a Spurs team that has won 60 games and counting. On a bad team, however, he would be averaging 32 minutes and shooting another 7 or 8 shots per game. His role is stunted even with his excellent play.

Carter Bryant is showing flashes

It's the same with Carter Bryant, whom the Spurs drafted with the 14th pick of last June's NBA Draft. He plays a position of need at 6'6" and has fought his way into a backup power forward role, joining a forward rotation that includes Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Keldon Johnson.

Bryant is the fifth member of that group, which is hardly surprising given the pedigree and skillset of each of the other players. He has played in 68 games this season, but averaged just 11 minutes per game.

Playing a small role on a great team isn't necessarily bad for a player's development, but it does obscure the evaluation. Bryant has shown some real flashes that Spurs fans have grabbed onto; his mistakes are also obscured by playing in garbage time or in small stints.

Those flashes, however, are exactly what the front office ordered. He is big, he is strong, and he looks the part of an All-Defense player down the road. Add in that his shot, which is not going in very often, has good mechanics, and you get a player who looks like a future 3-and-D option for the Spurs for years to come.

The trade keeps on giving

What makes this deal even better for the Spurs is that the rewards have only just now started to pour in. San Antonio can swap first-round picks with the Hawks this year, which will improve their pick by about 10 slots. They also have a first-round pick coming next year from Atlanta as well. Adding cost-controlled talent is the best way to maintain a contender.

From Atlanta's side of the ledger, they didn't get what they wanted from Dejounte Murray. He played well enough for the Hawks, but he and Trae Young could not coexist. By moving on from Murray, they got back a key young piece in Dyson Daniels and some draft capital that is as lucrative as it gets around the league. Atlanta didn't necessarily "lose" the trade; that honor goes to New Orleans.

The Spurs certainly won the deal, however. Carter Bryant looks like a future rotation player, if not a starter, and his fit with Victor Wembanyama could be divine. Having a young core, all of whom are long and compete on defense, gives this team a defensive foundation to build many contenders upon.

If the Spurs can nail one of their next two picks coming from the Murray trade, this will go down as an all-time deal for them. For now, they are clear winners -- and Carter Bryant looks poised for a breakout as early as next season.