While the Atlanta Hawks have been reportedly “open” to start over for the past few weeks, it appears that the first chip likely to fall is Dejounte Murray.
Appearing on NBA Today on Friday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Hawks are ready to trade Murray.
“Atlanta is ready to trade Dejounte Murray. They have given some time to the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt; I think they’re ready to move on from it. “Dejounte Murray is the player that they’re engaged around the league with. And they’ve talked to the Lakers, they’ve exchanged some ideas on a potential trade. But they’re engaged with a lot of teams.
"Dejounte Murray is the player that they're engaged around the league with. They have talked to the Lakers." 👀 @wojespn on the Hawks' plans for Murray. pic.twitter.com/Bt7eire6Dy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 12, 2024
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This is a pretty surprising development that the Hawks are willing to move on from Murray. Murray is one of the best two-way guards in the league. The 27-year-old has developed into one of the best scorers in the league and is very efficient. He is a good playmaker and does an excellent job at protecting the ball.
The Hawks Have Struggled With Murray/Young Backcourt
In 2020-21, Atlanta thought they had something with Young, Clint Capela, and John Collins as the Hawks got hot late in the season and made a run to the Eastern Conference finals. The Hawks couldn’t build off their momentum from that run in 2021-22, struggling to a ninth place with a 43-39 record, though they did get into the playoffs by winning two NBA play-in games. However, the Hawks were eliminated in the first round by the Miami Heat.
Thinking Young needed a running mate, the Hawks paid a ransom to acquire Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2022. However, the pairing hasn’t quite worked out how Atlanta hoped. The Hawks finished eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-41 record last season and were once again dispatched in the first round of the playoffs.
Atlanta (15-24) has gotten off to a slow start this season. The Hawks lost their first two games of the season but quickly bounced back to win six of their next eight. However, since starting the season at 6-4, the Hawks have posted just a .333 winning percentage. They have lost three of their last four and seven of 10.
While the Hawks have many problems, they are just one-and-a-half games out of 10th place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks’ main issues are on the defensive end, though they are not a great shooting team.
Here is the thing. Atlanta is 53-58 (.477) with Murray in the lineup. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 175-213 (.451) with Young. They are 4-5 when Young is out, and Murray plays, and 3-3 when Young plays , and Murray doesn’t.
Atlanta is 46-51 when Young and Murray are in the lineup.
This year, the Hawks are averaging 59.4 points a game when the duo is paired together, per Second Spectrum Sports, which is only the sixth-highest on the team among any duo. The more pressing issue is that the Hawks are outscored by 2.3 points a game when looking at the pair as a duo and by a combined 6.5 points when Murray and Young are paired with the Hawks’ most often-used two lineups.
Despite Murray bringing the attributes that he does, Atlanta has been better on both ends of the floor when Murray is off the floor since they acquired him. More importantly, for some reason, the Hawks seem enamored with Young.
Murray is under team control for the next four seasons. He is making $18.2 million this season with the four-year, $111.1 million extension kicks in from 2024 to 25.
Atlanta has 12 players under contract for next season, just $8.7 million below the luxury tax line. So, that also could be motivation for the Hawks. They also have a decision to make on Saddiq Bey this offseason and may have to pay Jalen Johnson in the near future.
Who Is Interested, and What Can The Hawks Get In Return?
As Woj indicated, the Lakers and the Hawks discussed a trade. Here’s more from Woj about what the Hawks may want in return for Murray.
“They [the Hawks] gave up a lot for Dejounte Murray: two of their own first-round picks, a pick swap, and a third first-round pick that they had control of. They want to get some value back for him.
“So you look at that Lakers roster, and you see what of value do they have that can compete in the marketplace? I think there’s lots of teams interested in him, the question is, how much are they willing to give up for Murray?”
Reportedly, the talks centered around the Lakers sending Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura back to Atlanta. But Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes says the Hawks want more from the Lakers than that pair.
“Any type of deal centered around Dejounte Murray, it would have to be Austin Reaves, you would think Austin Reaves would be a part of that, Rui Hachimura would probably be in it. For Atlanta, that just wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t be enough. The Lakers, they have interest but the problem with the Lakers is they need more pieces that’s going to be attractive for the Atlanta Hawks.”
In response to Woj’s above comments, it is that the Lakers don’t have a lot of trade capital. The Lakers will either have their own 2024 or 2025 pick, as the other one will be sent to New Orleans as part of the Anthony Davis trade. After that, the Lakers won’t have their own first-round selection until 2028.
While the Lakers have reportedly wanted to include Reaves in any deal, Trevor Lane of Lakers’ Nation believes there is a path for the Lakers and Hawks to work out a deal for Murray.
While the Lakers haven’t made a firm offer for Murray, they are expected to be in contention for Murray through the trade deadline. As it is believed Atlanta won’t deal him until February 8.
So, who are the other teams, Murray?
The Philadelphia 76ers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot since they traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers. The New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat have also been linked to Murray.