3 reasons why the Bucks shouldn't trade for Dejounte Murray

1. Dejounte Murray would leave the Bucks with nothing

The Milwaukee Bucks are already all-in. They gave up just about everything they could to land Jrue Holiday in 2020 and then did the same this summer to land Damian Lillard. All of the Bucks’ draft picks are either traded or have swap rights. The only asset they can trade is swap rights on swap rights. 

The Bucks have almost no conceivable ability to offer Atlanta the best deal for Murray, but even if they somehow did, it’d require them to mortgage their future to a level we’ve never seen before. Then there is the issue of Murray’s contract. 

Murray signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the Hawks this offseason, and his current contract pays him $16.5 million. While that $16.5 million figure gives the Bucks more wiggle room to acquire him, he’s owed $25.5 million next season when the Bucks already have $182 million in salary commitments. To avoid a financial apocalypse in 2024-25, the Bucks would have to trade one of Khris Middleton or Brook Lopez, but that would make this year’s team worse. They could always send Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton out, but then they’d have maybe the worst bench in the league. 

The prospect of staring down financial doom with no trade assets and a top-heavy roster just to bring in Dejounte Murray is completely insane. The Bucks have needs that can be addressed at a much lower cost and will probably be more impactful. 

Dejounte Murray is an excellent player, but he’s an awful fit for the Bucks and doesn’t address their most pressing needs. To get him would be like taking out a mortgage on your mortgage. Crazy trades happen in the NBA, but idiotic ones are rare. This would be one of the dumbest trades in recent NBA history because it’s a loss for everyone involved.