Hawks Trade Rumors: Analyst Says Hawks Should Trade Dejounte Murray
After last night's loss to the Washington Wizards, things seem to be sinking to the bottom for the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta is 15-23 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. The rumors around the team are only going to get louder and just a few weeks out from the trade deadline, Atlanta might be on the verge of making huge roster moves.
When talking about players and whether their team should trade them or keep them, Bleacher Report Analyst Grant Hughes said the Hawks should trade their all-star guard:
"The last and least decorated of the deadline's potentially available stars, Dejounte Murray should appeal to several teams. Once regarded as a defense-first guard, the 27-year-old has skewed toward offense since joining the Atlanta Hawks.
Parties interested in adding Murray and his reasonable four-year, $114 million salary could talk themselves into him solving their problems on either end. Still in his physical prime, theoretically capable of refocusing his energy on D and currently scoring more efficiently than ever before, the one-time All-Star ticks a lot of boxes.
Suitors could imagine him running their offense as a lead guard, rediscovering the drive that landed him on an All-Defensive team way back in 2017-18 (don't forget 2021-22's steals crown either), or doing a little bit of everything.
Atlanta surrendered three first-rounders (two of which are unprotected) and a swap in the package for Murray, and it'll be hard to get all those assets back by moving him. Then again, with the security of a below-market contract that extends through 2026-27 with a player option for 2027-28, maybe the Hawks can come close to recouping their assets.
Set aside the asset-based aspects, and the fact remains that Atlanta is stuck in the mud and in need of a shake-up. Currently outside the East's top 10 and continuing to fail on the defensive end, the Hawks can't really remake themselves by moving some of their other big contracts (Bogdan Bogdanović excluded). De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela aren't going to net financial flexibility or premium draft picks.
Atlanta needs change, Murray's value may not get much higher and the market is full of teams that could use a two-way combo guard. Those are good conditions to deal."
Verdict: Trade
Dejounte Murray vs the 76ers
Murray has perhaps been the most talked about player leading up to the deadline.
When appearing on ESPN's NBA Today last week, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski had this to say about the Hawks's efforts to try and trade Murray:
"Atlanta is ready to trade Dejounte Murray. They have given some time to the Trae Young and Dejounte Murray backcourt, but they are ready to move on from it. Dejounte Murray is the player they are engaged in around the league with. They have talked with the Lakers and exchanged some ideas on a potential trade, but they are engaged with a lot of teams.
They gave up a lot for Dejounte Murray. Two of their own firsts, pick swap and a third first round pick they had control of. They wanna get some value back for him. You look at that Lakers roster and you see what of value that they have that could compete in the market place. I think that there are a lot of teams interested in him, the question is how much do they want to give up for Murray. When you are this far out from the trade deadline, usually, you are not getting people's best yet. I think the Lakers are going to be in this, but there are a number of teams. I do think the chances of him moving before the deadline are very, very high."
In a recent report from NBA insider Jake Fischer, he says that Murray is the all-star that is most likely to be dealt and that the five teams he named to watch were the Lakers, Heat, Knicks, 76ers, and Pistons. In previous reports, the Lakers, 76ers, and Knicks have been linked to Murray the most.
All the momentum seems to be pointing towards a trade, but the next few weeks or days should be telling.
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