One of the most challenging decisions a team must make is deciding to trade a player away. Some trades backfire as players have a career resurgence in a new environment; others prove to be a steal, trading a player right before their career declines. The Atlanta Hawks have done a great job in recent years of selling high on players whose services they no longer need, particularly with these 3 moves.
Dejounte Murray
We all knew this was coming. In theory, Murray made sense as a backcourt partner for Trae Young. In practice, this was about as awkward a backcourt duo we've ever seen. Murray's exceptional length seemed to be the perfect defensive star to support Young's lack of size. He was also capable of running point when Young sat on the bench.
The problem lies in the fact that the two point guards could not coexist on offense. Trae Young is a one-man offense who needs to dominate possession to maximize his talent. Dejounte Murray also requires constant touches of the ball to affect the game. The result was an incredibly awkward offense where the two players took turns attacking the defense. Of all All-Star duos since 2000, Murray and Young had by far the worst net rating.
But in a miraculous turn of events, Atlanta was able to flip Murray to the Pelicans for Dyson Daniels and two first round picks. Daniels is the perfect backcourt partner for Young, what Atlanta thought they were getting from Murray. The Hawks then used one of the picks from New Orleans to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, leading the club to be one of the most exciting teams heading into next season.
Unfortunately, Murray tore his Achilles in his first season in New Orleans. Had the Hawks waited any longer to trade Murray, this new era of Atlanta basketball would never have happened.
Taurean Prince
The Hawks traded Jeff Teague for a rookie Taurean Prince in the 2016 offseason. After a quiet rookie season, Prince shined as a prototypical 3-and-D wing for the Hawks before being traded to Brooklyn in 2019.
Prince has maintained consistent output throughout his career, and his presence on this list is no shot at him as a player. Rather, the Hawks were able to turn Prince into a 1st round pick and De'Andre Hunter in a pair of savvy trades. The first Atlanta received was used to trade for Clint Capela.
The Hawks essentially turned Taurean Prince and salary filler into Capela and Hunter, two crucial pieces for their 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run (even if Hunter was hurt for part of the playoffs). Prince is a solid player, but this return was certainly the peak value Atlanta could have received for him.
AJ Griffin
The Hawks selected the 18-year-old Griffin from a loaded Duke team with fellow 2022 first round picks Paolo Banchero and Mark Williams. Griffin was a high-flying guard who shot a lights-out 45% from deep in college, potentially being the perfect wing for this Hawks team. After a solid rookie season, Griffin underwhelmed as a sophomore and was traded to the Rockets for Nikola Durisic.
Griffin retired just three months later to pursue full-time Christian Ministry. Oftentimes, we forget as fans that the NBA is a career for players, and Griffin made the decision to pursue a career path he found more fulfilling. Props to him for leaving millions of dollars on the table to pursue his passion.
Fortunately for the Hawks, they were able to get Durisic before Griffin retired. Durisic impressed in the 2025 NBA Summer League and signed a 3-year deal with Atlanta this offseason.