The Atlanta Hawks have been talking about trading for a second star pretty much since they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round this season. The Miami Heat mercilessly exposed the Hawks’ weaknesses in that series as their defense was the perfect storm in terms of stopping Trae Young and therefore the Hawks’ offense.
Still, there is talking about doing something, and then there is getting something done. The Hawks tried to make trades in the leadup to the draft, and then there was talk on draft night that they were shopping John Collins in order to move up the draft order.
Well, that did not happen and it took until the final day before Danilo Gallinari‘s contract for next season became fully guaranteed before they were able to make the deal. Now, let’s take a look at how the Hawks’ front office managed to get the deal done to land the services of Dejounte Murray.
The Atlanta Hawks got out of the deal relatively unscathed.
This was a win-now move for the Hawks. They gave up two future first-round picks with no protection to the Spurs. They then also gave up the Charlotte Hornets’ first-round pick that they received from the New York in the Cam Reddish trade. The only player that they had to move was Gallinari, who the Spurs will probably flip anyway.
In return, the Hawks received the 25-year-old All-Star who is contracted for the next two seasons. This is the first benefit of the deal, not only do the Hawks have a second star, but they also get Murray until the end of the 2023-24 season. On top of that, Murray’s contract is $4 million less than Gallinari’s for next season, giving the Hawks some more breathing space.