NBA rumors: Quin Snyder pushing Hawks to keep Dejounte Murray

It's become abundantly clear that the Atlanta Hawks would like to move on from Dejounte Murray, and who can blame them? They gave up a monster haul to acquire him from the Spurs ahead of the 2022-23 season, and things just haven't worked out the way they envisioned with Murray alongside Trae Young.

The Hawks sit at 22-28, 10th in the Eastern Conference, and barely holding onto a Play-In spot, let alone being a legitimate contender in the East. This came after Atlanta was a .500 team last season and lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. That feels like their ceiling, which is concerning with Murray having another four years left on his contract after inking an extension to stay in Atlanta long-term.

The Hawks would essentially be cutting their losses by trading Murray now, knowing they can still get decent value but nothing close to what they gave up initially to get him. That seems fine to Atlanta's front office, but there's a divide that they must consider with Quin Snyder reportedly advocating for the Hawks to hold onto Murray according to NBA Insider Marc Stein.

Quin Snyder hoping to keep Dejounte Murray in Atlanta as they fight for playoff spot

Why Snyder wants Murray to hang around is quite simple. The Hawks won't acquire a player close to as good as he is in a trade. Sure, they might land a first-round pick or two and could even land a promising young player as well, but Murray is a former All-Star and despite his flaws, is still having a really strong season.

The 27-year-old is averaging 21.4 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists. Additionally, Murray is having his most efficient season scoring the basketball, sporting career bests in field goal percentage (46.6), 3-point percentage (37.0), and free-throw percentage (83.4).

He's not the best fit alongside Trae Young, but giving up an All-Star caliber player when your team can still make the playoffs is not something any head coach is going to advocate for. While the Hawks are six games under .500 and are barely holding onto a Play-In spot, they're also just six games back of the sixth seed and avoiding the Play-In Tournament entirely.

It's not likely that they get there, but the Hawks have played well of late, winning four in a row before losing a nail-biter at home against the red-hot Clippers. Murray has played a big role in their play this month, scoring 23.6 points per game to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists.

The Hawks have a tough decision in front of them. They can hope the team turns things around with Murray, or they can ensure they get some of the value back that they lost by cutting their losses now. Both sides have their pros and cons. Quin Snyder has made where he stands known.