Atlanta Hawks fans react to blockbuster trade for All-Star Dejounte Murray

The Atlanta Hawks went from being ready to make wholesale changes to saying there will be minor tweaks back to shaking up the NBA. Trading for Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs is not minor. Murray is coming off of his first All-Star selection this past season while also leading the NBA averaging 2.0 steals.

This gives the Hawks a pair of dynamic ballhandlers and playmakers in their backcourt. They still have dynamic frontcourt option John Collins, though, reports are that he is still likely to be traded this offseason.

Murray and Young had both reportedly expressed an interest in playing together. Now, they will get their wish.

How did Hawks fans take the news?

Fans react to the Atlanta Hawks trading for former Spurs guard Dejounte Murray

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on the deal which had been going strong in the rumor mill for the past week. HoopsHype’s Micahel Scotto reported earlier in the day that, while the two sides had discussed a deal, they were still far apart on one. That gap closed in the hours after Scotto’s report.

Hawks fans were noticeably excited about the prospects of pairing their All-Star point guard, Trae Young, with another one.

That was not the only photoshop, of course. Hawks fans have had them up since the rumor first broke. So they were, naturally, out in full in Woj’s replies.

Some took a more analytic approach to the pairing.

That seemed to be the prevailing sentiment even if there are some concerns over the fit.

Some fans took the opportunity to chide the Spurs who are leaning into their rebuild and have the blessing to do so from their head coach, Gregg Popovich.

This Spurs fan summed up their feelings in a graphic.

Murray did not come as cheap as these reactions may seem.

The Hawks sent out two straightforward, unprotected firsts in 2025 and 2027. They also included a pick swap in 2026 as well as the first-rounder they got back from the Charlotte Hornets in the Cam Reddish trade.

Danilo Gallinari‘s contract was set to be fully guaranteed on June 29 at over $21 million adding a time element to getting this deal done.

They are now right up against the luxury tax pending any other moves.

Still, this dynamic backcourt gives the Hawks a pair of creators that will prevent the offense from bogging down as we saw come to a head against the Miami Heat in the postseason. Good luck sending the double at Young when Murray is right there to drive and kick.

Teams will still try to seek Young out on switches. But the Hawks also now have one less weak link defensively which makes everyone’s job easier.

Young’s high IQ can pay off more in the form of jumping passing lanes with one more plus–defender there to clean up before anyone can get to Clint Capela or whoever is manning the paint when next season begins.