Report: Some Prominent Members of the Knicks Organization view Dejounte Murray as an ideal trade target

Murray is in his second season with the Hawks after being traded from San Antonio

The NBA does not have any games today on Christmas Eve, but trade rumors are still in full effect. 

Most trade rumors surrounding the Hawks have been centered on the Hawks making a move and acquiring a player such as Raptors forward Pascal Siakam or Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, but the past couple of days have featured rumors around the Hawks trading Dejounte Murray and the New Knicks. 

Today, NBA insider Ian Begley shared that some prominent members of the Knicks organization view Murray as an ideal trade target: 

"Some prominent members of the organization see Atlanta's Dejounte Murray as an ideal trade target. New York had interest in trading for Murray in the 2022 offseason. At that point, Murray was viewed by some as a great fit with lead guard Jalen Brunson."

Dejounte Murray vs the Pistons / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Is Atlanta thinking about trading Murray? Begley went on to say that they have been receptive: 

"Teams say that Atlanta has been receptive to trade offers this season, the first full year for head coach Quinn Snyder. Hoopshype earlier reported that the Knicks are among the teams who expressed exploratory trade interest in Murray. Moving Murray would be a seismic shift for Atlanta. And it would surely require several first-round picks and young, ascending players."

This would be a huge shift for the Hawks, but it could be what the team needs to do to build a competitive team around star point guard Trae Young. Young is playing the best basketball of his career, but it is starting to become clear that this team is perhaps not built in the right way. 

There could be one potential road block for the Hawks in a potential Murray trade to the Knicks and Begley outlined that in his article: 

"The Knicks can put that kind of package together. But for New York, there is an additional hurdle in a potential Murray trade.

Murray is represented by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group. The New York Daily News reported in 2022 that Klutch opposed a trade of client Zach LaVine to the Knicks. That dynamic is still present today. I’m told that Paul remains reluctant to do business with the Knicks, who are led by team president Leon Rose and executive vice president William Wesley. Rose and Wesley were both top agents at CAA before they took over the Knicks.

The Hawks, obviously, can trade Murray -- or any other player -- to the Knicks or any other organization if they see fit. But if the Hawks decided to trade Murray, they would almost assuredly work closely with Paul and Klutch to find a suitable destination. That's often how things work in the NBA."

Dejounte Murray vs the Grizzlies / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

In recent weeks, the pairing of Young and Murray has been criticized around the NBA: 

When appearing on Bill Simmons podcast a couple of weeks ago, Doc Rivers was discussing the pairing of Murray and Young and if he thought it would work and he gave his honest assessment:

"It has not worked. They are both small in size. Now, Murray will try to defend and he is very competitive, but he is still small at the end of the day and slight. Yeah... I don't see it working. I'm with you, I thought Q (Haws head coach Quin Snyder) would come in and change them and they have, they have been better on offense at times, but after that, they are not a deep team and you just don't see it on a night-to-night basis with them.

Will the Hawks trade Murray and will it be to the Knicks? That is unknown now, but the rumors are starting to pick up and that is telling in my opinion. 

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