SAN ANTONIO — The NBA world is alive with rumors of an eventual San Antonio Spurs - Atlanta Hawks trade happening involving Spurs' Dejounte Murray.
And things really heated up when the sports director of WSB in Atlanta, Zach Klein, tweeted that the Hawks and Spurs are on the "verge" of closing a deal sending Murray to Atlanta in exchange for forward Danilo Gallinari and multiple draft picks.
But is any rumored deal dependent on Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich?
According to Klein, the answer is "yes."
Speaking with "The Blitz with Jason Minnix and Joe Reinagel" on 94.1 AM San Antonio Sports Star, Klein stated his sources are telling him that Popovich could be the one to give the final answer as it depends on if he wants to see the team go into a major rebuild starting next season.
"It's up to Pop. If Pop wants this deal to go down, it goes down," Klein said. "It's just that simple."
This is stemming from how much longer Popovich has left in his coaching career.
Does he want to retire leaving a Spurs team set for the future with Murray in uniform? Or is this rumored trade aimed for the future with what many feel will be an incredibly deep 2023 NBA Draft with 7-2, French center, Victor Wembanyama, the grand prize?
"It's just whether or not Pop wants to go full-blown rebuild-mode," he said to 'The Blitz.'
There is a lot of smoke coming from this rumor.
Multiple outlets have been reporting numerous discussions between the Hawks and Spurs regarding Murray.
For the Hawks, it is a no-brainer to pair Murray with Trae Young.
But is it a good move for the Spurs?
Trading Murray would signal that the team is in a deep rebuild and perhaps upping their NBA Lottery odds for the No. 1 pick in 2023 or adding to a war chest of draft picks for future roster moves.
What do you have to say, Spurs fans? Do you believe that Murray will be traded? Let us know on Twitter at @KENS5 and at @JeffGSpursKENS5.