Spurs' dream trade target is officially off the market if latest rumors are true

It looks as though the New Orleans Pelicans have taken their ball and gone home, much to the chagrin of the San Antonio Spurs. The Pelicans were widely seen as being potential sellers at the NBA trade deadline, with forwards Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones being perfect trade targets.

Not just for the Spurs, but for many contending teams. Ironically, despite their potential trade market, the Pelicans have opted to shut down trade talks for those two players as well as star Zion Williamson due to teams lowballing them.

According to NBC Sports' Dalton Johnson, New Orleans was looking for at least two first-round picks for Jones and two for Murphy III. But many contending teams don't have that type of draft stockpile to draw from.

The Spurs will have to look elsewhere for trade help

The ones that do probably aren't going to be willing to give up more than two unless it's a home run, slam dunk—whatever sports analogies you want to use-- deal.

To be clear, San Antonio probably wasn't willing to trade multiple first-round picks for either player. Nevertheless, the Silver and Black still could have offered Jeremy Sochan, the Atlanta Hawks pick swap, which might be a lottery pick, and another first.

They could have also traded the Pelicans back the three seconds they previously acquired in the Devonte Graham deal. That would have been a competitive offer for Murphy III and especially for Jones.

Of the two players, Jones might have been the more affordable option given his contract and his play this season. He is having another down year, which has clearly hurt his value, but he might have been a good fit in San Antonio. Oh well.

The Spurs may have internal options to solve their big problem.

San Antonio will have to look elsewhere, and there are few, if any, viable options. After all, few teams are willing to give up a 3-and-D combo forward, and if they were, they would likely be expecting what the Pelicans are hoping for.

That makes a trade unlikely for San Antonio, though they could get creative by looking inward. They could replace starter Harrison Barnes in the starting lineup with Julian Champagnie if his struggles continue.

It could also help both players and the team, with Barnes potentially benefiting from seeing his minutes cut. At 34 and having played 330 straight games, he doesn't have the luxury of taking a night off.

Therefore, reducing his minutes could help him regain his form, and Barnes could even thrive playing against opposing second units.

Meanwhile, Champagnie is a hot and cold player, though he has still been more consistent than Barnes has this season. He can go nuclear on offense, drilling threes, while his defense and rebounding have been an enormous help. Other options include Luke Kornet or even Jeremy Sochan.

Jeremy Sochan could reemerge as a key player for the Spurs

Kornet has had a far bigger role than anyone could have expected this season, and San Antonio usually plays like gangbusters when he and Victor Wembanyama play together. Sochan has quietly reentered the rotation as a low-minutes forward.

He might not play a huge role for the Spurs. But if he can give them 10 good minutes on defense and maybe get us a couple of hustle buckets on offense, then Sochan might play a factor during the second half of the season and even the playoffs.

Overall, with the Pelicans' decision to take Murphy III and Jones off the trade block, it likely limits the Spurs' ability to upgrade at the trade deadline. Instead, they may rely more on options such as Champagnie, Kornet, and Sochan to help them solve their brewing problem at power forward.