Inside The Huskies

Former Husky Dejounte Murray Inks Extension With Atlanta

The Hawks have made a big financial commitment to the former Washington star.

Roman Tomashoff

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While the Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of a massive roster shakeup, where it appears that everyone is available for the right price, the front office has decided to make a commitment to former Washington standout Dejounte Murray. He signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension on Thursday to avoid entering free agency following the 2023-24 NBA season.

Murray's new deal appears to include a player option in the final year, which would kick in during the 2027-28 campaign. After the San Antonio Spurs traded Murray to Atlanta in June of 2022, he had a very successful first campaign in the Eastern Conference.

He played in 74 games and averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while averaging a career-high 46.4 percent from the field. The Hawks fell in the first round of the playoffs in six games against the Boston Celtics, but look to be building for the future.

The front office appears to have confidence in the All-Star backcourt pairing of Murray and Trae Young and has made moves to support that assertion. Atlanta traded forward John Collins to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gay, mainly for salary flexibility (presumably for this deal).

The Hawks also traded for forward Sadiq Bey at the trade deadline back in February and drafted Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin 15th overall to add depth.

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Murray, who was named to the 2017-18 All-Defensive second team and to his first All-Star team in 2022, is looking to rack up more accolades in his new home. He received three votes for the All-Defensive second team during his first year in Atlanta and seems to be in line to earn a lot more recognition over the next several years.

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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