Several Sixers Rivals Linked to Hawks Star Dejounte Murray

With the trade deadline less than a month away, there’s another popular name available on the market, as the Atlanta Hawks are reportedly considering parting ways with Dejounte Murray.

The one-time All-Star’s time with the Hawks could be described as underwhelming at best at this point. After Murray developed into a rising star with the San Antonio Spurs through his first five seasons in the NBA, Murray found himself dealt away to the Hawks in an offseason trade.

At the time, the backcourt combination of Murray and Trae Young was expected to shake the Eastern Conference. Murray had a decent debut season with the Hawks, averaging 21 points, five rebounds, and six assists across 74 matchups. However, he wasn’t a difference-maker in the playoffs, as the Hawks faced a gentleman’s sweep in the first round after cracking the seventh seed via the Play-In.

Amidst his second full season in Atlanta, there’s a ton of smoke surrounding Murray. As the Hawks are off to an underwhelming 15-22 start, placing them 11th in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoff picture right now, the Hawks are stuck between making a big swing as a last-ditch effort to turn their season around — or headed towards a re-tool or rebuild.

With Murray reportedly available, teams are doing their due diligence. The Philadelphia 76ers have been tossed out as a team that could potentially talk shop with the Hawks regarding a trade for Murray, but their interest level seems quite low at this time.

Can the same be said for their direct rivals?

Checking in on a recent trade intel dump from Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, several Sixers contenders were linked to Murray. Some of the notable names include the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks and the Heat are typically in the market for any star that hits the block. However, the Heat and the Knicks don’t seem to be jumping at the opportunity to add the Hawks guard.

Per Fischer, the Knicks seem skeptical of Murray’s potential fit alongside Jalen Brunson. Seeing as though Murray and Young are still searching for optimal ways to coexist on the court, New York fears they could face a similar situation.

As for the Heat, there hasn’t been “anything substantive” regarding talks between Miami and Atlanta. While it seems as though the Heat have inquired, they don’t seem to share the same aggressiveness to trade for star guards not named Damian Lillard.

The other two Eastern Conference teams linked to Murray are the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets. While the latter team found themselves in the postseason just last year, the tenth-seeded Nets don’t look like a squad that’s one piece away from making a jump.

As for the Pistons, they continue to operate with the mindset of a team that’s not at the bottom of the barrel. If they landed Murray, it wouldn’t shake up the East in any way this season. The only reason why their interest in the star guard matters at this point is because it indicates they aren’t going to have a deadline fire sale like a rebuilding organization typically would.