With traction gaining around trade rumors involving Dejounte Murray and the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN’s Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski points out that the All-Star guard is “very, very likely” to be traded leading up to the 2024 trade deadline. Given Wojnarowski’s report, the Hawks should have no shortage of suitors for a player of Murray’s caliber.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, “Murray has generated a substantial market during preliminary conversations around the league.” Additionally, Fischer went on to mention the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons have all expressed interest in acquiring Murray to “varying degrees.”
Sitting at 15-22 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, the Hawks are “ready” to move on from Murray, per Wojnarowski. After giving up four first-round picks to pair Murray with backcourt mate Trae Young in 2022, the Hawks have seen enough to deem this a failed experiment and are preparing to cut their losses.
With that in mind, the Hawks would be silly to turn down these potential trade packages, which have all been entered into Fanspo’s NBA Trade Machine & Cap Manager to ensure it is financially feasible for all parties involved.
3. Dejounte Murray takes his talents to South Beach
It’s no secret that the Miami Heat have been searching for another star player to pair with the likes of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in hopes of bringing a title to South Beach. From Donovan Mitchell to Damian Lillard, and now Murray, the Heat have been on the shortlist of rumored destinations for practically every All-Star guard who has become available via trade in recent seasons.
Now, they finally get their guy in Murray by trading the expiring $29.6 million contract of Kyle Lowry, talented young forward Nikola Jovic, an unprotected 2024 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick via the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lowry’s contract would serve as a valuable asset to a Hawks team that is far from contention and currently set to enter the 2024-25 season being roughly $56 million over the salary cap. Not to mention, they’d get a player with untapped potential in Jovic as well as two draft picks.
Conversely, the Heat get a proven commodity who is a former All-Star in Murray to help bolster their starting five in pursuit of getting back to the NBA Championship with the hopes of winning it this time around. Murray’s defensive-minded approach would fit in well with Butler and Adebayo while giving the Heat another playmaker to take some of the offensive burden off of Butler.
Not to mention, the Heat also get an experienced veteran in Wesley Matthews who they could look to give minutes to in a pinch in addition to a young and talented sharpshooter in AJ Griffin, whose name has been dangled in trade rumors.
2. 76ers acquire a third star in Dejounte Murray
Since sending disgruntled All-Star and James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this season, the Philadelphia 76ers have been looking to turn the assets they acquired via the Harden trade into “another high-level guard in a trade to partner with MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey this season.” In this scenario, the 76ers finally make that happen by bringing in Dejounte Murray.
The expiring contracts of Marcus Morris Sr. and Furkan Korkmaz free up roughly $23 million in cap space while getting the Hawks off the hook for the four-year, $120 million contract extension they signed Murray to this offseason, allowing them to have more financial flexibility moving forward (which is especially important with the new rules of the NBA Collective Bargaining agreement coming into play next season). They’d also get two first-round picks which they could use to make another trade or stockpile young talent.
Murray would be the final piece to the puzzle for a 76ers team that wants to capitalize on the current championship window they have in the form of Embiid’s dominance as the seven-footer approaches the age of 30. Notably, Murray and Maxey would form one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA while also giving the 76ers a defensive weapon they can throw at other top opposing guards in the Eastern Conference such as Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, and more.
1. Tanking Pistons enter the Dejounte Murray sweepstakes
Sitting at 3-36 through 39 games of the 2023-24 season, the Detroit Pistons are currently pacing to finish with the worst record in NBA history. Normally, when a team is playing this badly, they look to sell off parts in hopes of expediting the rebuilding process. However, the Pistons have been rebuilding for multiple years under general manager Troy Weaver. With Weaver’s job on the line, the Pistons have reportedly been “aggressive in trying to add talent to their roster via trade.”
Dejounte Murray fits the bill for a Pistons team looking to upgrade the roster. Not to mention, Murray is still just 27 years old, which fits in well with the other young players on the Pistons such as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson. Murray would give the Pistons four core players to work with as the team looks to dig themselves out of being one of the NBA’s bottom feeders.
For the Hawks, they’d acquire the expiring $19.9 million contract of veteran three-point marksman Joe Harris, a talented young guard in Jaden Ivey who has been misused by head coach Monty Williams to the dismay of the front office, a 2024 second-round pick, and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the worst team in the NBA. The 2026 first-round pick could end up yielding a top-10 selection (or better) given the trajectory of the Pistons and how far the team is from playoff contention.
Of all the trades mentioned, this one offers the most intrigue for both teams.