After turning in increasingly impressive seasons since selecting Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs have the making of a serious contender if they play their cards right this summer.
Holding the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, a few extra picks to work with from other trades, and a strong asset pool of interesting players like Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson, the Spurs could be one of the major movers and shakers of the 2025 NBA offseason, which is good news, considering Kevin Durant is likely to be on the move following a disappointing run with the Phoenix Suns.
Unsurprisingly, the Spurs have been linked to KD in the past, but in Bill Simmons’ opinion, he isn’t the best option for San Antonio this summer. No, the “Podfather” instead wants to see San Antonio take a swing at another versatile frontcourt player in Trey Murphy III, who could potentially be acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans if the price is right.
“That’s the guy I think the Spurs should get. If I was Spurs consigliere, like, are we getting Durant? He’s 37. Let’s give up some of the same stuff we were going to give up for Durant, throw some more picks in it, and actually try to get Murphy, who you know is hitting his mid-20s,” Simmons said. “And try to get somebody who is actually more on our timeline, who is going to give us a lot of the stuff we would have wanted anyway. And I also think his value is lower than it should be because he didn’t work out all last year because he didn’t know if he was getting his extension or not.”
On paper, Simmons’ assertion is pretty well-reasoned, as Durant is 16 years older than Wemby and could theoretically be retired before the Spurs franchise player begins his next contract. Murphy, by contrast, is 24, an ascending player, and is entering the first year of a team-friendly four-year, $112 million contract. Though his ceiling may not be as high as Durant’s, his runway is much longer; factor in the addition of another backcourt player in – probably – Dylan Harper, and bringing in the Virginia product from the Big Easy could pay out much larger dividends in the end for San Antonio.
The post Bill Simmons urges Spurs to trade for Kevin Durant alternative appeared first on ClutchPoints.
