Hawks Trade Rumors: Hawks are "Open to Anything" According to One NBA Insider
Ready for more Hawks trade rumors?
Atlanta has been one of the most talked about teams leading up to the NBA's trade deadline, with only Trae Young and Jalen Johnson said to be untouchable. In the last week, the rumors have been all of over the place and have concerned any number of players on the Hawks.
Today on Threads, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said that that the Hawks are "open to almost anything at the trade deadline, but there is no question they have gone as far as they'll probably go on Dejounte Murray's pairing with Trae Young in the backcourt. They're talking Murray deals- and others- around the league."
It is seeming more and more likely that the Hawks are going to make big changes before the trade deadline and the team is likely going to look a lot different. Murray has been at the center of most trade discussions involving the Hawks, with the Lakers, 76ers, Raptors, and even his former team, the San Antonio Spurs, have been rumored to be involved.
In the summer of 2022, the Hawks traded a lot of picks to the San Antonio Spurs for Murray in hopes that he would be the star that would take the Hawks to the next level alongside Trae Young. It has not worked out that way and Murray has been in the middle of trade rumors, with Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes saying he thinks it is likely that Murray does get traded.
The Athletic's Shams Charania said the San Antonio Spurs are a team that is interested when talking about Murray today:
"Dejounte Murray is trade-eligible starting today and the Hawks are going to begin elevating those talks even more. The Lakers are suitors that we have discussed, they have a need at that position and we are still waiting to see exactly how his market shakes out. But one team that has a level of exploratory interest I'm told is his former team, the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are obviously building around Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell among their budding young talent, they have a stable of draft assets as well, a ton of draft picks moving forward and I think they are going to take a very patient approach in their building process and there is not a real level of urgency of going out there immediately, but they are going to be patient and they are gonna pick and choose, whether that is this season or in the summer, next season, they have a runway."
Dejounte Murray vs the Wizards
Last week, Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer had this to say about Murray:
"The premier point guard on the market before the Feb. 8 trade deadline may be Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray, a former All-Star whom the Hawks have made widely available, according to league sources, two years after trading three first-round picks to acquire Murray from San Antonio.
There are questions, to be sure, about whether Murray’s fit would be ideal next to another ball dominant lead like Brunson, as Murray’s pairing with Hawks All-Star Trae Young hasn’t brought the dividends Atlanta once imagined. Yet Murray’s four-year, $114 million extension that begins in 2024-25 does make him an intriguing trade target for any team with backcourt questions. We’ll see just how preemptively front offices move this winter before harsher tax penalties kick into effect next season as part of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. Future picks and value contracts such as Murray’s might become greater trade commodities than league personnel anticipated."
Then, Bleacher Reports Chris Haynes said that the Lakers and the 76ers are teams to watch for Murray and that he thinks Murray is going to be traded by the deadline.
It certainly seems that the Hawks are exploring the option of trading for Murray.
Haynes mentioned that the Lakers likely don't have enough to trade for Murray and mentioned Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura as possible trade assets.
It would appear that the Hawks are gearing towards reworking the roster. This would be a drastic shift from going and trading for Murray a couple of summers ago, but it is the position the Hawks find themselves in.
Things are starting to heat up and the next four weeks are going to be interesting for the direction of the franchise.
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