Hawks' Dejounte Murray sends emphatic message on Spurs' Gregg Popovich

Dejounte Murray has only been with the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons.

He cut his teeth in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, though, and has been open about how that experience was for him.

It hasn’t all been good, with Murray downplaying the Spurs’ path back to success following his trade in 2022. The Spurs landed No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama and look set just fine but Murray had already cleared the air.

He has also never wavered on his affinity for Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

It’s no surprise to see him double down on those sentiments after a fan saw his comments from his sit-down on the “From The Point with Trae Young” podcast.

"POP Really The GREATEST!!!! [100],” Murray posted on X on May 10. “Can’t Nobody EVER Come In Between Of Our Bond!!!"

“He's real, bro. He's 1-of-1, bro,” Murray said on Young’s podcast on April 8. “Shaking his hand, or hugging him, or just being in the same room as him you'll just feel it. He's different. There's nobody – you can't create this guy ever. Ever. He is who he is for a reason.”

Murray joked about Popovich calling him to be critical when he scored a career-high 44 points.

The Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 123-122 on the back of his effort. It took Murray 44 shots to get there – which was also a career-high – though. 

“That's our relationship,” Murray said. “We talk s*** to each other, we tell each we love each other all the time. So he made it as a joke, but he made sure to let me know he love me and he's watching.”

Spurs among ‘best landing spots’ for Hawks' Dejounte Murray in a trade

The winds of change are blowing around the Hawks this offseason, continuing from last summer and even during the campaign.

While Murray and Young have brushed aside the trade chatter, they are at the heart of the Hawks’ offseason outlook. Whether or not the front office decides to split them up is only part of a critical process as they look to course-correct.

One of the teams linked to both star guards is the Spurs.

They are also among the “best landing spots” for the one-time All-Star, per Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz.

“The Atlanta Hawks traded for Murray in 2022 and moved him to more of an off-ball role next to Trae Young, but it's been a failure for everyone involved. The Hawks went 36-46 this season, a seven-win drop from the year before they sent three first-round picks to the San Antonio Spurs for Murray,” Swartz wrote on May 8.

“The Hawks should be open to trading Murray to add better-fitting pieces around Young. A return to the Spurs would make a lot of sense for Murray, and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic could be searching for a backcourt upgrade this summer.”

Murray said he would welcome such interest from Popovich.

Meanwhile, the Hawks are rumored to have held trade talks with the Spurs about a Young trade ahead of the deadline.