Spurs, Hawks agree on Dejounte Murray trade

4 years ago - Sportingbase

The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to trade All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for Danilo Gallinari, a 2023 first-round pick from Charlotte, their own unprotected 2025 and 2027 first-round picks, as well as a pick swap in 2026, per multiple reports.

Reports that San Antonio had been receiving calls for Murray began surfacing about a week ago with initial speculation that John Collins would be at the centrepiece of any Hawks’ package.

The New York Knicks were among the other teams who showed interest in the All-Star guard, however, Atlanta’s substantial package sealed the deal with San Antonio.

With Murray now alongside All-NBA point guard Trae Young, the Hawks will possess one of the league’s elite backcourts to pair with the likes of Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Clint Capela, Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanović.

Murray is fresh off a career year in which he averaged 21.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 9.2 apg and a league-leading 2.0 spg, finishing second in Most Improved Player voting, and was named to his first All-Star team.

The 25-year-old was the 29th pick by San Antonio in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Washington and has spent the past five seasons with the franchise.

As a second-year player, Murray received All-Defensive 2nd Team honours before suffering a torn ACL and missing the entirety of the 2018-19 season but has bounced back terrifically to become one of the league’s elite guards.

Murray is an elite finisher at the rim, a streaky but respectable jump-shooter, and a superb playmaker and passer.

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He is also one of the league’s best guard rebounders and an impactful perimeter defender, which will assist in alleviating pressure off of Young.

Atlanta finished the season as the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 43-39 record and dispatched of Charlotte and Cleveland in the play-in to qualify for the playoffs, where Miami made light work of them in the first-round.

The Hawks did, however, make an Eastern Conference Finals run the season prior and will fancy their chances to improve on a disappointing season, particularly with Murray now in the fold.

By parting with such a vast amount of future draft capital, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk has prioritised short-term success over long-term success with Young’s five-year, $173 million extension set to kick in this upcoming season.

The Hawks will also add first-round pick A.J. Griffin to their roster and are expected to continue to be active in trade discussions with Collins and Huerter expected to be among the names still available.