NBA Analyst Says Hawks Are Haunted By The Dejounte Murray Trade

The Hawks paid a hefty price to get Murray in the summer of 2022

Apr 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

After making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, the Atlanta Hawks were bounced in the first round by the Miami Heat in five games. It was evident that the Hawks needed an extra ball handler to take the pressure off of Trae Young and they made a very pricy move to get Dejounte Murray from the Spurs.

Two years later, Murray is now on the New Orleans Pelicans and it is pretty evident now that it is a trade that the Hawks should never have made. Murray never provided the defense the Hawks needed and the fit just never worked.

Bleacher Report analyst Zach Buckley said it is a trade that is still haunting the Atlanta Hawks:

"The trade: Danilo Gallinari, 2025 and 2027 first-round picks and a 2026 first-round pick swap to the San Antonio Spurs for Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale

This might be a controversial pick, since Atlanta's decision at the 2018 draft to swap out Luka Dončić for Trae Young and a first-round pick later spent on Cam Reddish could lead to a lifetime of regret.

At least that choice—unforgivable as it may appear in hindsight—is behind the franchise, though.

As for the Hawks' 2022 all-in wager on Murray, though, they can't even get the grief process started on that misfire. That's because the damage done with that deal is ongoing.

Want to know why Atlanta traded away Murray but stopped short of entering a tear-down tank job this summer? It's because this trade cost the Hawks' control of their 2025, 2026 and 2027 first-round picks. Even if they hit the draft-lottery jackpot, the prize wouldn't belong to them.

They are indefinitely trapped on the treadmill of mediocrity, and because of this trade, it could be years before they're able to put any sort of roster-building plan into practice."

The Hawks did well to get a pair of first round picks and Dyson Daniels for Murray, but you are also seeing the trade backfire this season. The Hawks are probably the most injury riddled team in the NBA and have lost four straight after a 2-0 start. Some of it is due to poor play, but the fact of the matter is that the Hawks just don't have enough guys right now. Some years you might be able to chalk it up to bad luck, but if the Hawks keep falling and end up in the top half of the Lottery odds, they don't get their pick.

I think when the Hawks get full healthy, which might not happen until December in a best-case scenario, Atlanta is a possible playoff team. Getting healthy is the No. 1 priority right now because if they can't, it will be the Spurs the benefit the most at the end of the season. It is early, but the Hawks are in a precarious position.

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