Dejounte Murray Trade Rumors: Hawks and Spurs Discuss All-Star Point Guard Deal, Reports

The Atlanta Hawks And the San Antonio Spurs They discuss the trade centered around the all-star point Dejounte Murray, according to Zack Klein from ABC Atlanta And the Jake Fisher from the Bleacher Report. Interestingly, the proposed deal will not include former Tottenham target John Collins. Instead, it will rely on the partially secured contract of Danilo Gallinari and several draft picks. Reports had previously suggested that landing Murray would cost no fewer than three first-round picks.

The logic of such a trade for Atlanta is clear. Murray is one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA, so pairing him with Trae Young would greatly balance their backcourt while giving Atlanta another reliable ball player in Young’s always-unsettling minutes. Having another point of protection in the starting lineup, especially one who struggles just as hard as a shooting player as Murray does, could force Young to focus on getting off the ball more, which is probably what his game needs.

The bigger question here is why San Antonio, who is out of the playing berth, is so eager to get the 25-year-old all-star out. The answer, in all likelihood, is two words: Victor Wimpanyama. The French position is the predicted No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and is one of the best prospects for entering the NBA in years. A 7-2 position with his 3-point steady shot, ball skills, Rudi Gobert’s tallness, and impressive movement ability, Imbanyama is the kind of squad player that often sacrifices seasons for crafting. A Murray transfer would propel Spurs towards a season in the tank, and after Tim Duncan’s relegation in 1997, they know full well how important such a season is in the long run.

The Hawks control all of their picks in the first round, so sending a selective pack to San Antonio should be easy enough. The main question is how much value these choices will actually have. The team built around Young and Murray should be very good, so the Hawks will have to give in a bit to the temptation of Spurs to sacrifice Murray.