NBA Analyst Makes Bold Claim About The Hawks Trade Return for Dejounte Murray

The Hawks traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason

Apr 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) dunks the ball on Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images

One of the biggest moves of the offseason was the Hawks sending Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks. It might not have been the kind of package that the Hawks sent out for Murray two years ago, but they were able to get some of the value back, namely in Daniels and the unprotected 2025 pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, which could prove to be a lottery pick. Some have dismissed the return the Hawks received from the Pelicans, but if Daniels takes steps forward on offense to complement his elite defense and the Lakers end up in the lottery, this could look like a better than expected return.

When naming offseason moves that were "lowkey" wins, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz listed the Hawks return in the Murray trade:

"The Dejounte Murray trade was covered sufficiently this summer, although primarily from the New Orleans Pelicans' point of view.

The 27-year-old will undoubtedly help solve New Orleans' point guard issue, but don't be surprised if the Hawks come away as the winners in the deal.

Atlanta received a pair of first-round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and E.J. Liddell (who has since been traded to the Phoenix Suns for David Roddy) in exchange for Murray, a move that cleared a lot of future salary off the books and raised the ceiling of the franchise overall.

The most important part of the trade for the Hawks was the inclusion of a 2025 first-round pick from New Orleans, one that's actually coming from the Los Angeles Lakers that was originally sent to the Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade. The Pels had the option to take L.A.'s draft selection in 2024 or 2025, opting to delay the pick likely due to the difference in class strengths.

The Hawks now own the Lakers' unprotected first-round pick in 2025, a draft that is "loaded with potential stars," according to Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

Los Angeles has selected at No. 17 each of the past two years, although its 2025 pick has the potential to be even higher. LeBron James (71 games played) and Anthony Davis (76) were both abnormally healthy last year, as neither star had even reached 60 games since the 2019-20 season.

With James set to turn 40 in December and Davis now 31, these two aren't going to become more durable with age. Missing one (or both) would lead to a freefall for a Lakers team that did little to improve this offseason and had a net rating of minus-13.2 (8th percentile via Cleaning the Glass) in the 735 total possessions the two stars were off the floor.

This is a potential gold mine of a pick for Atlanta, which is important since its own draft selection is owed to the San Antonio Spurs from the original Murray trade.

Tack on another first-round pick coming in 2027, the two-way potential of 21-year-old Dyson Daniels and the insurance of Nance as a do-it-all rotation big and we'll look back at this trade being a huge win for the Hawks."

I agree with this take and I don't think it is being talked about enough. It will be contingent on Daniels making the necessary leaps on offense, but the Hawks got about 85% of what they sent out for Murray back in the summer of 2022. Daniels on paper is the perfect backcourt complement to Trae Young and can improve the Hawks defense, their biggest weakness last season.

Selected eighth overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Pelicans, the 6-7 guard owns career averages of 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 20.0 minutes in 120 games (27 starts). Prior to the Pelicans, he spent the 2021-22 season with the NBA G League Ignite, where he was named to the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars roster.

Daniels has been one of the under-discussed additions throughout the NBA this offseason, but he has a chance to make a real difference for Atlanta. That is why I think he is the most underrated player on the Hawks this season.