Dejounte Murray (#5) of the Atlanta Hawks shoots in the NBA Eastern Conference play-in tournament game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, April 17, 2024. /CFP
The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to trade their NBA All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, Dyson Daniels, a 2025 first-round draft pick via the Los Angeles Lakers, and the least favorable of a 2027 first rounder from either the Milwaukee Bucks or their own, ESPN reported on Friday.
Considering the price the Hawks paid to acquire Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in June 2022 – Danilo Gallinari and multiple future first-round picks – they cut the Pelicans a relatively easy deal to send Murray away. None of Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell or Daniels is worth a first rounder. The Lakers, the Bucks and the Pelicans themselves have shown no intention of starting a rebuild soon. Therefore, their first-round picks for 2025 won't be valuable either.
Murray was selected into the All-Defensive Second Team in 2018, made his All-Star debut in 2022 and was the steals leader that season. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game in two seasons for the Hawks between 2022 and 2024. He has also improved his 3-point shooting with the Hawks, draining 2.2 triples per game at a shooting rate of 35.5 percent.
Dejounte Murray (#5) of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, March 10, 2024. /CFP
The Hawks landed Murray two years ago to make a balanced back-court pair of him and Trae Young with the hope of having Murray, an elite defender, make up for Young's poor defense. The plan didn't work well as the Hawks remained in the bottom 10 defensively in the NBA in the past two seasons.
Moreover, there was not much chemistry between Young and Murray on the offensive end. Both needed to launch attacks off the dribble. The team's offensive stats were not bad, but they only reached the playoffs once in the two seasons and were eliminated by the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the first round in 2023.
The Pelicans were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-0 in the Western Conference first-round playoffs last season. One of the reasons behind their struggling performances was the lack of a real playmaker and the defensive deadweight in their starting point guard CJ McCollum. The team count on the arrival of Murray to be their solution.