Will the Hawks trade Dejounte Murray?
The clock is ticking! We are nearing the three-week mark for the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, which is Thursday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. EST.
There have been two trades over the last three weeks: OG Anunoby got moved from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks in a five-player swap while the Detroit Pistons agreed to trade former No. 2 pick Marvin Bagley III to the Washington Wizards in a salary dump.
In what could be another buyer’s market, one player that multiple teams are reportedly interested in is Atlanta Hawks star guard Dejounte Murray. But one question remains: Will the Hawks, who are fighting for a play-in spot, going to trade him?
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski cleared the air last week.
“Atlanta is ready to trade Dejounte Murray,” Wojnarowski reported. “They have given some time to the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt; I think they’re ready to move on from it … [the Hawks] are engaged with a lot of teams (for Murray).”
His current cap hit is $18.214 million: A $17.7 million base salary, $500K in likely incentives plus another $1.0 million in unlikely incentives that don’t count toward the cap until the performance-based requirements are met.
Though Murray, 27, signed a four-year, $114 million extension over the offseason, which included $111.1 million guaranteed at signing with about $9.1 million laced in incentives–$3.0 million in likely incentives with $6.1 in unlikely incentives.
Murray is currently averaging 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, a career-high 38.6 percent from 3-point range on a career-best volume (6.1 3PA; 8.3 3PA per 100 possessions) and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line.
NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported last week that the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons are five notable suitors who are “expected to engage” with Atlanta, though no deal has come into fruition yet. The Lakers are now able to trade Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, so they could be the likely frontrunner in these negotiations.
Whichever team trades for Murray, they’re getting an exceptional rebounding guard who’s a solid defender–despite having a down year, to his standards, in that area–plus and improved playmaker and floor spacer. Murray needs to improve off-ball, but his strengths as a secondary creator and capable point-of-attack defender are enough to positively impact a rotation in the proper context–which doesn’t exist with a middling Hawks team right now.
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