The Atlanta Hawks' premature abandonment of a promising Dejounte Murray experiment has cost them once again. Atlanta looked like it had found its backcourt of the future when it paired Murray with Trae Young in 2022, but just two years later, it gave up on its dynamic duo.
As a result, the Hawks can only watch as the No. 14 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft goes to the San Antonio Spurs and leaves the franchise wondering what it could've done with it.
Atlanta acquired Murray from San Antonio in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, a 2026 pick swap, and first-round draft choices in 2023, 2025, and 2027. The 2025 pick has officially relayed to the Spurs after the lottery finalized the order of the annual selection process.
Unfortunately, it was a lottery pick that the Hawks ultimately missed out on—or, more specifically, the opportunity to have two consecutive lottery selections.
Atlanta walked away with the No. 13 overall draft pick, which helped soften the blow. It landed that selection when it traded Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings. Even still, the Hawks have missed out on a golden opportunity to potentially trade into the top 10 by using the No. 13 and No. 14 selections.
Moreover, one can't help but lament the fact that the Hawks gave up on a player they traded three first-round picks and a swap for after just two years.
Spurs officially secure No. 14 pick via Hawks' 2022 trade for Dejounte Murray
The silver lining is that trading Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2024 is a move that ended up paying dividends for the Hawks. Atlanta recouped two of the four first-round picks it sent out, including the No. 22 overall selection in 2025 and a 2027 opportunity that remains two years out.
Considering the Hawks gave up three first-round selections and a pick swap to acquire Murray, however, the fact that they're still down two opportunities to improve their roster continues to sting.
The silver lining is that trading Murray to the Pelicans in 2024 enabled Atlanta to land Dyson Daniels. Daniels made quite a statement during his first season with the Hawks, winning the Most Improved Player award, leading the NBA in steals, and finishing as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.
Murray was magnificent down the stretch of the 2023-24 season, however, leaving one to ponder what could've been.
Murray averaged 24.0 points, 7.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.7 three-point field goals made on .462/.354/.776 shooting over his final 47 appearances with the Hawks. During that time, Atlanta went 22-25—a drastic improvement from the 14-21 record it otherwise accumulated.
Murray took his game to another level between Feb. 25 and Apr. 9, when Young missed every outing, averaging 24.8 points and 9.2 assists as Atlanta went 12-11.
Fast forward to 2024-25 and the Hawks, even with Daniels breaking out, finished 40-42. Acquiring Daniels certainly wasn't an issue, but one can't help but cling to the lingering question of whether Atlanta backed the right guard between its 2023-24 options.
Regardless of what could've been, the fact remains that Atlanta has officially lost another draft pick to the Spurs because of a trade it gave up on after just two years.