The Atlanta Hawks It was all in order to advance the Eastern Conference with a bold trade for a well-established partner in the backcountry next to Trae Young. The Hawks acquired Dejounte Murray from San Antonio Spurs For Charlotte’s 2023 first-round pick, unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, Danilo Gallinari, a selection swap, According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It’s a trade that sets a strong direction for both franchises. The Hawks are making an all-out push to get back to where they were two seasons ago – the Eastern Conference Finals – before they barely snatched the No. 8 seed in the East last year. Meanwhile, Spurs are finally committed to rebuilding in a way they did not do when they initially replaced Kawhi Leonard. Spurs have not won a playoff series since trading Leonard, but they also didn’t pick above No. 9 in the draft.
Spurs are taking big risks by trading their best player at 25 years old. The Hawks also take risks by depleting their best future assets for Murray. Here’s how the deal ranks for both sides.
Atlanta Hawks Grade On Trading Dejounte Murray
Now, the Eastern Conference is the most talented since Michael Jordan retired. The Boston Celtics They are out of the NBA Finals and they have an impressive group of young talent that is just beginning to enter its heyday. The Milwaukee Bucks He won the championship in 2021, and has the best player in the world in Giannis Antetokounmue. The Miami Heat He came within three pointers of Jimmy Butler to go to the NBA Finals this year. The Sixers We have Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Teresa Maxi. The Nets still have Kevin Durant and Keri Irving. The Cleveland CavaliersAnd the Toronto RaptorsAnd the Chicago Bulls You also try to win.
Atlanta realized that it needed to take a big step to break through in the East. Trading three picks for Murray is as big as he gets.
Murray made his first All-Star Team at the age of 25 last season. The 6’4 goalkeeper put in 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per game while leading the league in steals with 138 (2.0 per game) per season. He’s an excellent defender who takes advantage of his height (6’10 wingspan) and super quick hand to put down young guards at the point of attack, and to wreak havoc on passing lanes. He has made amazing strides as an attacking player since returning from a tattered AFC Champions League in 2018, improving his scoring average from 10.9 points to 15.7 to 21.1 points per game over the past three years.
Murray has a formidable defensive spell alongside Young, and is one of the worst defensive guards in the league. The offensive spell is a bit more complicated. Both Murray and Young love to play with the ball in their hands. Young has put in one of the highest usage rates in the league for the past three seasons. Murray’s biggest weakness is his three-point shooting – he shoots 33 percent from depth in just two attempts per game of his career. Will he be able to effectively vacuum the floor when Young has the ball?
Young is of course an excellent shooter, but is he ready to commit to a more off-ball role? Young hasn’t been a great player up until this point in his career, but he certainly has the speed and charisma of shooting to become one.
This trade makes Atlanta way better nowadays – but are they better than Boston, Milwaukee, Miami and Philadelphia? Just winning one series in the East is quite a feat, but that won’t be enough for Atlanta after utilizing all of its assets to make the move.
The Falcons best hope their little core develops alongside their backyard, starting with Onyeka Okongwu, AJ Griffin, DeAndre Hunter and Jalen Johnson. If some of these young players can develop into reliable entry-level players (Hunter is already there and Okongwu is nearby), Atlanta could have a deep and talented core alongside Young and Murray. The Hawks will have two playoffs with Murray before they eventually have to pay him a big contract that will likely be at or near a maximum.
Murray was an injured All-Star substitute last season. The hawks better hope to be in the conversation regularly in order to move forward to justify the cost. At the same time, you have to respect Atlanta for her meddling in everything. It’s a high price to play, but the team just got a lot better. We haven’t quite sold this making them a threat in the NBA Finals yet.
Class: B
San Antonio Spurs degree in Dejounte Murray تجارة
Spurs have been stuck in NBA purgatory since Leonard traded. San Antonio chose to include veterans DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl in the Leonard deal rather than the draft selection group, but they haven’t won a playoff streak since the deal.
This move firmly sets Spurs’ trajectory: they will be bad, and they will try to find their next franchise star at the top of the draft. The last time Spurs fell, they landed Tim Duncan in the draft. San Antonio will be praying to the lottery gods for similar luck next summer.
The rebuilding of Spurs added three first-round draft picks earlier this month with Jeremy Suchan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley. Wesley has the tools to eventually become what Murray has grown if all goes well – but that is, of course, a big deal. This trade gives Spurs the opportunity to see their young players develop in a pressure-free environment where the team does not feel like wasting the last two years of Murray’s friendly contract.
Getting first rounds unprotected in 2025 and 2027 is a massive coup for San Antonio. These choices can be anything…even a Dejounte Murray quality player. The truth is, this version from San Antonio wasn’t going anywhere with Murray, and they traded it in when its value was at its peak. Spurs pushed several teams to bid against each other for Murray, which drove prices up. Whether you use them on players or pack them into future deals, it truly is a massive array of choices that will shape the future of San Antonio.
The 2023 NBA Draft has two big jackpots at the top with Victor Wimpanyama and Scott Henderson. Read our comprehensive analysis of the expected first place in the Wimpanyama Championships here. Check out the 2023 sample draft here. Next season may not be fun for Spurs, but they suddenly have a lot of assets that we hope will ignite the wonderful era of the franchise.
Class: a
