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.
How the Atlanta Hawks offense can benefit from Dejounte Murray
The paring of Murray and Young is one which is going to be very difficult to contain. Young was third in the league last season in assists per game. Murray, who was leading the Spurs, was fourth in the league. This means that the Hawks have potentially come up with their solution for when Young sits.
Obviously, the two of them will start but then Nate McMillan will have the luxury of being able to stagger their minutes so that he has a high-quality play-maker on the floor at all times. This is going to keep the offense moving at all times.
On top of that, Murray is a very efficient scorer, especially when he is attacking the hoop. While he is only 6’4″, Murray has an incredible 6’10” wingspan which makes him an incredibly difficult proposition to stop at the rim.
On top of that, this is also going to allow Young to play off-ball a whole lot more. This means that he is going to be able to create space from his defender coming off screens. When Young gets open, he becomes an incredibly hard player to stop. Offensively, assuming that they click, the Hawks’ backcourt is going to be special, especially if Young can get out in transition more.
How the Atlanta Hawks defense can benefit from Dejounte Murray
Considering that Murray entered the league defensively, this is where the Hawks are going to see the greatest benefit from this trade. In just his second season, Murray was named to the All-Defensive team in just his second season.
On top of that, Murray led the league in steals per game last season. This is certainly going to help the Hawks’ defense which was the area that let them down the most last season. Slotting Murray alongside De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela in the starting lineup will go a long way to fixing this issue.
If the Hawks are able to re-sign Delon Wright then his combination with Murray when the second unit hits the floor is going to make the Hawks tough to score against. If you then add Onyeka Okongwu to this mix, there will be no respite for the opposing teams. This three-man lineup has a chance at leading the entire league in deflections this season.
It may take a little time for Murray to develop chemistry with his new teammates, but that is always going to be the case. However, he is the right age and he already has Young excited to be his teammate which is always going to help. One thing that is exciting is that this move is almost certain to guarantee the Hawks a top-four team next season in the Eastern Conference.