Talks between the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs could be reaching a fever pitch. They had gone dark following the conclusion of the 2022 NBA Draft. Both Trae Young and Spurs guard, Dejounte Murray, have expressed an interest in playing with each other, too. But reports were that, organizationally, there was not much traction on a possible deal.
The Hawks have continued to shop forward John Collins. But, surprisingly, this latest update excludes the longest-tenured Hawks player while still landing Young a sidekick in Murray.
This also appears to be more than the average proposal that gets discussed at this point.
The basic framework for a deal might already be known. It would allow the Hawks to make the kind of significant changes many expected. The same types of changes that Hawks president Travis Schlenk pushed back against.
The Atlanta Hawks are believed to be “on verge” of landing Spurs G Dejounte Murray
Murray is coming off of averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.3 rebounds for the 34-48 Spurs who finished 10th in the Western Conference. Murray still earned his first All-Star selection while leading the NBA in steals per game. He also has an All-Defensive honor to his credit in his short career.
That would make a nice counter for Young who had the most total points and assists while earning his first All-NBA selection.
But Zach Klein of ABC-2 reports that a deal may be very close.
In talking with multiple sources around the NBA, many believe Hawks on verge of trading for San Antonio's All-Star guard Dejounte Murray - However, it's looking like John Collins is not part of deal. Would be Gallo & multiple 1st round picks. Spurs prepping for future & '23 draft
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) June 27, 2022
The Spurs asking price for Murray had previously been believed to begin with three first-round picks, per reports. Atlanta would be able to oblige with their picks in addition to a 2023 first-rounder from the Charlotte Hornets via the Cam Reddish trade.
Financially, Danilo Gallinari’s $20 million contract become fully guaranteed if he is not waived by June 29. His contract is currently only guaranteed at a value of $5 million. However, in a trade, Gallinari’s contract value counts at its full value of over $21 million for his new team. It would still count for just $5 million for the Hawks, though, complicating any deal.
That could be a reasonable reason to wait on completing a trade.
This would allow the Spurs to send Murray to the Hawks and then focus on the 2023 offseason as Klein reports letting Gallinari’s deal expire after the season if completed after it locks in.
A backcourt of Young and Murray would be quite dynamic, though, there are some concerns with the potential. Both players are primary ball-handlers. Murray shot just 32.7% on threes last season and 34.5% on catch-and-shoot triples.
Young shot 48.1% on catch-and-shoot threes. But he only averaged 1.0 per game.
The other elephant in the room continues to be what happens with Collins. Surely there is a market for a player with his skill set. But he also would seem like the kind of player the Spurs would want to get back in a deal for their All-Star. There is always the chance that this deal get expanded as Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported.
It could even include a third team to add additional assets.
Collins being traded has been a constant rumor of the offseason with many considering a deal the most likely move of a star-level player this summer. Murray getting traded to the Hawks seems to be heading in a similar ‘likely’ direction.