This Trey Murphy trade proposal solves two Spurs problems at once

Psst! Hey! A new De'Aaron Fox trade proposal just dropped on Bleacher Report, and it's actually not horrendous. The framework has San Antonio's starting point guard headed to New Orleans, with Luke Kornet and a bunch of picks in exchange for Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray. Just how many picks? Well, I'm glad you asked. Exactly, seven of them.

2027 first-round pick (via ATL)
2028 first-round swap (via BOS)
2030 first-round pick
2031 first-round swap (via SAC)
2027 second-round pick
2028 second-round pick (NOP's own)
2029 second-round pick (NOP's own)

Now, this is where I have to hit the pause button for a second. The Spurs would be smart to hold onto one of the first-round picks they received from the Kings or Boston. It's not like the Pelicans are taking back Jordan McLaughlin here. Swipa and Kornet would be great pickups for them, so there's no reason to surrender so much draft capital.

Other than that, this trade makes sense for the Silver and Black.

The timeline and money work in the Spurs' favor

Murphy just turned 26 years old in June, and he's under contract for the next three seasons—right through his prime. He'd slot in as a clear upgrade over Julian Champagnie and Tobias Harris at forward, ending the question of which one of them should start. Both players could fall into bench roles behind the latest acquisition, as he's just the more talented two-way player.

The Silver and Black would be sending out $59.95 million between Fox and Kornet while taking back $59.8 million. The money is aligned perfectly. The two sides land within $150K of each other, so the Spurs wouldn't have to perform any Simone Biles-esque cap gymnastics to pull this off. Plus, the incoming players have shorter contracts than the outgoing pair.

Defensively, both Murray and Murphy are legitimate two-way players. Trigga Trey would immediately upgrade the wing position, and Dejounte would provide a much-needed second-unit floor general with Fox departing.

Murray coming home solves the third-guard problem

DJ has a somewhat polarizing history with Spurs fans, but he's never done anything bad enough to warrant eternal banishment. He ran his mouth a little, taking shots at San Antonio after he was traded to Atlanta. That's small-potatoes stuff, though. Most would welcome him back with open arms if he returned.

With Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle running the starting group, the bench would need someone dynamic enough to keep the heat on opponents when the Slash Bros sit. Murray is coming back from an Achilles injury that cost him most of last season, but if he's healthy, he can play that role perfectly. It wouldn't be the first time Spurs Nation saw him return triumphantly from a major injury.

This trade also just eliminated the triple-guard fit problem outright. There won't be pressure to play three of them together to justify rostering them all, despite the fit not being as seamless as you'd hope. Nor will anyone criticize the Spurs for putting Murray on the bench.

I'd hate to see Fox go so quickly. But if the return is a 26-year-old two-way wing plus a strong backup guard who can erase some of the annoying debates this fan base has been subjected to over who starts or plays more minutes, this is the version of "it's time" I can live with.

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