Inside the Hawks’ pursuit of Dejounte Murray and what might come next & More Trending News

The Atlanta Hawks had been determined for one more star.

After that surprising pleasure trip in the 2021 playoffs, their underwhelming displaying final season in the much-improved Eastern Conference was a serious drawback for all concerned. Pressure from possession was rising – once more – particularly with Trae Young’s supermax extension about to kick in for the 2022-23 marketing campaign.

The excessive stakes meant it was excessive time to make one other transfer; to lift the collective ceiling on this group that had proven a lot promise two postseasons in the past.

The five-game first-round loss to Miami made clear how badly the Hawks wanted a secondary perimeter playmaker next to Young. The group believed this was a necessity earlier than the sequence, sources instructed The Athletic, and that was solely highlighted by the Heat’s skill to hound Atlanta’s All-NBA guard and drive him off the ball at an unprecedented degree. Atlanta didn’t have the scoring or the playmaking threats to make up for Young being utterly taken out of the recreation by Miami’s physicality and size.

Enter 2021-22 All-Star Dejounte Murray, the San Antonio Spurs guard who’s headed to Atlanta in a commerce for Danilo Gallinari, a 2023 top-16 protected first-round choose through Charlotte, 2025 and 2027 unprotected first-round picks and a 2026 choose swap that’s additionally unprotected, sources instructed The Athletic. It’s a win-now transfer if ever there was one, a transparent signal that the Hawks are dedicated to maximizing the Young period whereas shoring up a protection that ranked twenty sixth in factors allowed per 100 possessions final season. But it’s additionally a hefty worth to pay, the type of make-or-break, mortgage-your-future transfer that might be monitored and scrutinized for years to come.

The Hawks are hoping this goes effectively sufficient that Murray will need to stick round after his present deal expires in the summer season of 2024 (he’s owed $16.5 million and $17.7 million in the next two seasons). Murray is eligible to signal a three-year extension this offseason value as much as $74.7 million after incentives, however it’s unlikely he agrees to at least one now after the All-Star season he simply had with the Spurs. In the short-term, the Hawks merely should discover a method to contend once more in an Eastern Conference with Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Miami and Brooklyn remaining as formidable as ever.

Just per week in the past, Landry Fields, Atlanta’s soon-to-be common supervisor, stated the entrance workplace was “mandated to get better, and we want to get better.” The Hawks are higher, and there’s potential for much more enchancment in the coming days.

With all indicators persevering with to level to a John Collins commerce in the Hawks’ close to future, it’s exhausting to handicap Atlanta’s potential for next season and past with out understanding their return in that extensively anticipated deal. Sources say the commerce conversations for this Murray deal concerned Collins at first, earlier than the Spurs pivoted.

It’s additionally attainable the Hawks discover buying and selling both Kevin Huerter or Bogdan Bogdanovic, who could also be headed for bench roles because of this of the Murray addition. Huerter signed a four-year, $65 million deal final offseason, whereas Bogdanovic is owed $18 million this season and recovering from offseason knee surgical procedure that’s anticipated to sideline him by way of coaching camp.

Murray was the solely participant to common no less than 21 factors, 9 assists and eight rebounds final season, with solely Luka Dončić and James Harden coming shut. Murray isn’t a menace from the perimeter, taking pictures simply 33.3 p.c from 3 in his profession and simply 32.7 p.c final season. He’s not Klay Thompson to Young’s oft-cited basketball doppelgänger, Steph Curry. Not even shut.

While Murray is one of the higher scoring guards in the league inside the perimeter, making 44 p.c of his midrange jumpers and 64 p.c of his makes an attempt at the rim, he had a 26.8 utilization charge that far surpassed that of Huerter (16.9), the Hawks’ off-guard incumbent. Murray will want the ball, and Young could have to grasp the artwork of enjoying off the ball like, effectively, Curry. This might be an adjustment for Young and Murray, as the two All-Stars every performed one hundred pc of their minutes at level guard final season, per Cleaning the Glass.

Yet since Young entered the league, the Hawks have at all times believed they may totally unleash the greatest model of Young if he embraced transferring off the ball. That ability isn’t completely new for Young, who did it extensively in his AAU days alongside Denver Nuggets ahead Michael Porter Jr. In his restricted off-ball makes an attempt at the NBA degree, Young has been sensible. This previous season, he scored 1.3 factors per spot-up possession, rating in the 97th percentile, per Synergy Sports. Young made 48.1 p.c of his 77 catch-and-shoot 3-point makes an attempt final season.

Now that Young has a operating mate in Murray, who can run the present with or with out him on the ground, the Hawks can unlock their famous person’s full offensive arsenal. All it took was Gallinari’s partially assured contract, a horde of draft property and a number of tense days of negotiations.

As the Hawks and Spurs talked about the deal late final week and by way of the weekend, there was a way of confusion and disbelief from some of the concerned events on the Atlanta aspect. Were the Spurs actually prepared to half methods with a 25-year-old who’s extensively seen as one of the greatest under-the-radar skills in the league? Would they actually welcome a full-on rebuild throughout Gregg Popovich’s twilight years? The Hawks knew the worth could be excessive to land Murray, however the likelihood to unravel so many of their issues by pairing him with Young of their backcourt was too good to cross up.

Then got here the unnerving silence. Sources say the Spurs went quiet for an prolonged interval early this week, with Hawks officers questioning internally if San Antonio might have been retreating from the attainable deal or, maybe, gaining momentum in commerce talks elsewhere. Time was of the essence on the Hawks’ aspect, as Gallinari’s $21.45 million contract for this season was set to totally assure by Wednesday night.

Yet whereas The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported that there have been Murray-centric talks between the Spurs and Minnesota final week, the Timberwolves’ entrance workplace clearly wasn’t comfortable going all-in to land him. The Knicks had been reported as a attainable Murray touchdown spot, however a supply with data of their discussions stated they didn’t discuss to San Antonio about him. Atlanta, in the meantime, was clearly decided to seek out one other elite wing expertise.

While the Murray talks had been evolving, sources say the Hawks had been monitoring Brooklyn’s scenario carefully and – like so many different groups round the league – critically getting ready for the risk that Nets star Kevin Durant might ask for a commerce. While Kyrie Irving’s determination to choose in for the ultimate yr of his contract introduced a fast finish to the Durant chatter, the Hawks’ curiosity spoke volumes about the scope and urgency of their search.

In the finish, Murray was their man.

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(Top photograph of Dejounte Murray: Brett Davis / USA Today)

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