The Atlanta Hawks are buying and selling All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans, based on ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
In return, the Pelicans are reportedly sending again first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, middle Larry Nance Jr. and guard Dyson Daniels to Atlanta. The 2025 decide is the Los Angeles Lakers’ unprotected decide acquired through the Anthony Davis commerce, whereas the 2027 one would be the much less favorable of the Pelicans’ and Milwaukee Bucks’ picks.
Murray is coming into the primary season of a four-year, $120 million million contract he signed with the Hawks final offseason.
The commerce is one other huge swing within the NBA offseason, with the Pelicans trying to improve a core already headlined by Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. As for the Hawks, they’re shifting on from a participant who was supposed to assist them take the following step.
Can Dejounte Murray assist the Pelicans?
Since buying and selling Davis, the Pelicans have been slowly constructing themselves again right into a playoff staff. That effort led to a 49-33 document final season, however that also left them needing the play-in event to succeed in the playoffs.
The Pelicans’ season ended with a first-round sweep by the hands of the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, and it was laborious to observe their efficiency and assume extra expertise was all they wanted to face out within the West.
With Murray, the Pelicans are getting a participant who ought to slide in fairly properly alongside McCollum within the backcourt whereas including to the staff’s defensive id. With Herb Jones and coach Willie Inexperienced’s robust defensive ideas, the staff ranked sixth within the NBA in defensive score final yr at 111.9.
Murray and McCollum are succesful ball-handlers who stay threats on the perimeter, and that figures to type the muse of the Pelicans’ new offense with Trey Murphy whereas Williamson assaults the paint. It is Ingram’s function that could be in flux with the Murray addition, as he’s a free agent subsequent offseason.
The Pelicans nonetheless have some stuff to determine this offseason, although, as standout middle Jonas Valančiūnas is an unrestricted free brokers. With Nance now gone, too, there is a vital gap within the paint for New Orleans, who partially addressed it by choosing Baylor huge man Yves Missi with the twenty first total decide of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Dejounte Murray commerce was a very long time coming for Hawks
The Pelicans are betting huge by buying and selling for Murray, which did not precisely work out for the final staff that did it.
The Hawks acquired Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in the summertime of 2022, parting with a bundle bigger than what the Pelicans gave up (three first-round picks, a decide swap and Danilo Galinari). On the time, the hope was Murray might be a great complement for Trae Younger, a participant with main defensive shortcomings who wants the ball in his arms to be helpful.
It is laborious to argue Murray did not do his greatest, however the total final result was, at greatest, irritating. The Hawks went 41-41 of their first season with Murray and 36-46 in his second. The staff’s protection was a large number, and a full season of head coach Quin Snyder did not assist.
So Atlanta is hitting the reset button, partially. Except the Hawks wish to tear the staff all the way down to the studs, Younger possible is not going anyplace. He, De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all beneath contract for not less than two extra seasons and parting with Murray might be a manner for the staff to recalibrate a components that has thus far not labored.
Nonetheless, it is laborious to not see this commerce as an admission that paying up for Murray was a mistake within the first place.