The Atlanta Hawks’ next focus in the event they trade star guard Dejounte Murray is clear: the future.
That does not mean that they cannot or will not try to compete in the interim. But their targets have been draft picks and ascending players, including a new report from The Athletic’s James L. Edwards, who covers the Detroit Pistons.
The report reveals trade discussions between the Pistons and Hawks.
Per Edwards on January 25, Atlanta targeted Detroit’s last two first-round picks, Jaden Ivey or Ausar Thompson. Thompson was the No. 4 pick this year while Ivey went No. 5 the year before.
Detroit, Edwards continued, has no interest in parting with either player despite their interest in a trade. He also noted their lack of interest in trading their fellow youngsters, Cade Cunningham or Jalen Duren.
The Hawks previously targeted former New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley and a first-round pick before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors.
And talks with the Los Angeles Lakers have stalled over D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.
The Hawks and Pistons were also previously linked in rumored talks around De’Andre Hunter, one of several Atlanta players believed to be available ahead of the NBA trade deadline on February 8.
Hawks ‘letting dust settle’ before making Dejounte Murray trade
“Landry Fields, their GM, has been talking with a number of teams throughout the year. I don’t want to say they’re taking a pause right now. But I think they’re going to let the dust clear a little bit on the marketplace,” Wojnarowski said on “The Woj Pod” on January 23.
“Atlanta wants to get value back, and they gave up a lot to San Antonio … beginning with three first-round picks, and they’re not going to get that back in this trade.”
Murray hasn't pushed for a trade, though he has addressed the matter and said he would welcome interest from his former team, the San Antonio Spurs. But his play may also be playing a part.
While the Hawks haven’t been able to turn their fortunes around on the court, currently riding a three-game losing streak, they have gotten a string of strong performances from him.
He is averaging 24.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists for the Hawks over the last 13 games, shooting 49.8% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc. The Hawks began that stretch of games 6-4 before hitting this skid.
5 and 15 attacking downhill ⛷️ pic.twitter.com/Btv9LKSbc1
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 25, 2024
The team’s road won’t get any easier, with just one matchup against a non-playoff/Play-In Tournament team in their next eight outings.
That one matchup is against the revamped Toronto Raptors, who sit 11th in the East.
The Hawks will also come out of that stretch with a tilt against the Houston Rockets, who currently sit 11th in the West. That means the Hawks face a team within at least one spot of postseason basketball in 10 straight contests with the Chicago Bulls dotting the span.
A turnaround could be hard to come by, particularly with the issues the Hawks have had defensively this season.