The Atlanta Hawks have undergone a metamorphosis of sorts with the addition of Dejounte Murray and the subtraction of several familiar faces including Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Huerter. But not everyone is as upbeat about their moves as the Hawks have sounded in the days that have followed the blockbuster.
That group does not include head coach Nate McMillan who expressed his excitement over what the move could mean for Trae Young.
Hawks general manager Landry Fields shared similar sentiments.
But others around the league tell a different tale, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe (subscription required) in a story that revolves around the potential trades of both Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell. Both were rumored at one point to be Hawks targets.
Atlanta Hawks catch flack over blockbuster trade to land Dejounte Murray
Lowe’s report, while about Durant and Murray, immediately sends a stray at the Hawks. Some and the league have called the package they sent to the San Antonio Spurs for Murray “reckless”. Not just because of the amount of draft capital sent back. But also because the picks have no protections.
The Hawks will either send their first-round pick to the Spurs outright or risk San Antonio choosing to swap starting in 2025 until 2027. They also sent the 2023 first-rounder that they got from trading Cam Reddish. But that one is protected.
Lowe cites the 2013 trade that sent Jrue Holiday from the Philadelphia 76ers to the New Orleans Pelicans kickstarting “The Process”. He also suggests that the Minnesota Timberwolves, who made the other major deal that has league circles buzzing, are closer to being “one player away” than Atlanta.
Holiday’s tenure in New Orleans ended with just two postseason appearances.
New Orleans was able to flip Holiday for a boatload of picks and swaps that begin conveying 2024. But they are from the Milwaukee Bucks who figure to be at or near the top of the standings for the duration of their being in debt to the Pels.
Lowe notes that the Murray trade is one of seven trades in the last decade in which a team traded three or more future first-round picks.
There are also questions about how Murray will respond to being a second scoring option.
He has said that the only goal is to win a championship and there are no individual agendas for this squad. While Landry has said that they are still evaluating what additional (minor) moves they might need to make, Murray’s mindset alone should go a long way in the locker room.
That’s why how other executives feel about the deal is secondary to how he impacts the Hawks.
If his attitude is infectious, we could see a team that more closely resembles the 2021 squad than the inconsistent one we saw last season.