5 Dejounte Murray trades Hawks GM Landry Fields should explore

Proposed trade swaps Dejounte Murray for Raptors’ Pascal Siakam

It’s unclear if the Hawks would have an interest in Barrett or if the Knicks even want to part with him this season. But the Hawks could try to parlay Murray into another one of their rumored trade targets.

They have been the team most often linked to Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam since the offseason. 

The two sides have exchanged multiple offers, per reports.

The Raptors declined an offer of Griffin and De’Andre Hunter while the Hawks declined to include rookie first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, who the Raptors were high on during the pre-draft process before going in a different direction.

Bufkin profiles similarly to Murray and could be viewed by the front office as insurance for a potential Murray trade.

Draft compensation is more difficult to pin down for this one. 

Atlanta could argue the volume and quality of the players they would be giving up in this deal plus the uncertainty around Siakam’s future – he is in the final year of a four-year, $136.9 million contract and won’t sign a contract extension if traded – means they should have to surrender any additional draft capital.

The Raptors could argue they are giving up the best player in the package and, therefore, should get even more than Murray and Hunter.

Murray is a former steals champion and All-Star.

But Hunter is in the first year of a four-year, $90 million contract and has a history of knee issues, including a non-surgical procedure that will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.

The Hawks would have to answer questions about floor spacing with this deal, though. Siakam is shooting just 24.5% from beyond the arc.