That line about smoke and fire proved true for the Spurs, as percolating reports from different outlets and fan incredulity gave way to a bona fide blockbuster deal on Wednesday, with San Antonio sending All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to Atlanta in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and a bounty of picks and pick swaps.
Thus concludes this chapter of Murray’s inspirational personal journey. In an otherwise forgettable stretch in San Antonio, he developed into the team’s lone star; a resoundingly successful development project who, at 25, may still have another level to hit; the rising talent who, in a post-Kawhi world, embraced the organization and its fanbase.