The Atlanta Hawks spent two seasons trying to make Trae Young and Dejounte Murray work as a duo after acquiring the latter in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs. Their failure to succeed began to affect their personal relationship.
The final result was a trade that sent Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Despite that move, the Hawks still have a need in the backcourt – albeit for a different spot – and ESPN’s Bobby Marks suggests the Hawks give the Spurs another call.
Marks, who spent two decades in the Brooklyn Nets' front office, suggests the Hawks attempt to acquire Tre Jones in a trade with San Antonio. The move would bolster the Hawks' guard rotation behind Young. The cost would seemingly be modest, simply flipping veteran big man Larry Nance Jr.
“The addition of Jones improves an Atlanta team that ranks 25th in turnovers and has allowed the fifth-most points off turnovers per game,” Marks wrote on January 29. “Last season in San Antonio, Jones ranked in the top 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio. Jones' minutes have decreased this season due to a sprained right ankle early in the campaign and the additions of Chris Paul and Stephon Castle. He is averaging the fewest minutes since his rookie season in 2020-21.”
Jones, 25, is averaging 4.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds this season.
However, Jones did post back-to-back seasons with double-digit scoring in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Jones is not a shooter. He has never averaged more than 2.5 three-pointers per game in his career. Jones has also never surpassed 33.5% efficiency when attempting more than 0.1 triples a night.
He is in the final year of a two-year, $19 million contract.
Nance, 32, has a 9.0/4.1/1.5 line while shooting 46.6% from downtown this season. He is in the final year of a two-year, $21.6 million deal.
The move would save the Hawks $2.1 million against the salary cap. But their needs have also changed significantly following the announcement that Jalen Johnson would miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum and surgery to repair it.
Nance is now a near-essential piece as the best option to replace Johnson in the starting lineup.
The Hawks also have a young guard in Keaton Wallace who has shown well as Young’s backup – and even his replacement in the starting lineup – when he has received an opportunity.
With one week until the trade deadline, a lot more about the Hawks and the landscape can change. But the Hawks have a lot more incentive to be active at the traded deadline than they may have had before Johnson’s injury.