One teams trash is another team’s treasure. The Atlanta Hawks are trading All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans, according to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
In return, the Pelicans are reportedly sending back in the other direction first-round draft picks in 2025 and 2027, big man Larry Nance Jr. and guard Dyson Daniels to the Hawks. The 2025 pick is the Los Angeles Lakers’ unprotected pick acquired via the Anthony Davis trade five seasons ago, while the 2027 one will be the less favorable and consequential to the Pelicans’ and Milwaukee Bucks’ selections.
Murray is going into the first season of a four-year, $120 million deal he inked with the Hawks last offseason.
The trade is another massive move that makes the NBA offseason unlike any other, with the Pelicans trying their best to upgrade a nucleus already featuring Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. In the Hawks case, they are parting ways with a player who they thought would turn them into a contender in the Eastern Conference, alongside Trae Young.
Since letting Davis go to the ‘City of Angels, the Pelicans have been methodically building themselves back into a playoff team like a house of cards. That noteworthy effort led to a 49-33 record last season, but that still left them finishing the regular season in 8th place, and needing the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Pelicans’ season ended with a big thud, a first-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it was challenging to watch their performance and think just additional experience would be the answer they needed to stand out in the loaded West.
With Murray entering the fold, the Pelicans are getting a player who should fit in seamlessly alongside McCollum in the backcourt while adding to the team’s defensive identity. With Herb Jones and coach Willie Green’s un wavering defensive principles and background, the team ranked sixth in the NBA in defensive rating last year at 111.9.
Murray and McCollum are adequate ball-handlers who remain threats on the perimeter, and that figures to play a big role in creating the foundation of the Pelicans’ new offense with Trey Murphy while Williamson attacks the paint. It is Ingram’s production that may suffer the most with the arrival of Murray, as he is a free agent next offseason.
The Pelicans are most likely not done yet improving the roster and still have some major things to sort out this summer, as standout center Jonas Valanciunas is an unrestricted free agent. With Nance now out of the equation, there is a gaping hole that somehow needs to be filled in the paint for New Orleans, who put a bandage over it by selecting Baylor big man Yves Missi with the 21st overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Pelicans are putting all their chips in the middle of the table by trading for Murray, which was disaster for the last team that did it.
The Hawks acquired Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2022, surrendering a hefty package larger than what the Pelicans gave up (three first-round picks, a pick swap and Danilo Galinari). At the time, the hope was Murray could be an ideal complement for Young, a player who is a defensive liability who needs the ball in his hands to be effective.
It is hard to argue that Murray did not get the job done, but the overall outcome was, at best, frustrating. The Hawks went 41-41 in their first season with Murray and 36-46 in his second, falling to the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In Tournament. The team’s defense was an absolute joke, and a full season under head coach Quin Snyder did not help.
So, the rebuild has officially started. Unless the Hawks want to start completely over from scratch, Young likely is not going anywhere. He, De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all under contract for at least two more seasons and by saying goodbye to Murray could give them the time they need to lick their wounds and figure out another play that everyone can commit to.
