NBA Analyst Gives New Grade For Hawks-Pelicans Blockbuster Dejounte Murray Trade

One of the biggest moves of the summer occured when the Atlanta Hawks sent guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for a trade package that centered around Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, and two first round picks, one of which was an unprotected pick from the Lakers in 2025. At the time, most analysts thought that the Pelicans won the trade and got the point guard that they needed to lead their team. Heading into January though, the Hawks have won the trade and it has not been particularly close. Now, some of that has been due to injury, as Murray has missed a lot of time due to an injury but the Hawks have reaped the rewards of having Daniels on their team.

When looking back at the trade in a recent article, ESPN's Kevin Pelton shifted his tune on who won the trade:

"When I graded the Murray trade in late June, the assumption was it would be the first move in a series that would send Brandon Ingram elsewhere in exchange for frontcourt help. Instead, the Pelicans entered the season with Ingram in a walk year and a center duo of rookie Yves Missi and journeyman Daniel Theis.

New Orleans couldn't have known that Murray (hand fracture) would be among a spate of early-season injuries that has left the Pelicans last in the West. Still, what New Orleans gave up looks much better six months later too.

I was curious to see this season whether the Pelicans were willing to trade Daniels with two first-round picks for Murray in part because they knew more about his potential than other teams. Apparently not. "The Great Barrier Thief" is a strong candidate for Most Improved Player at age 21, having more than doubled his scoring average to 13.0 PPG as a starter in Atlanta while leading the league with 3.1 steals per game. No player has averaged so many steals since John Stockton in 1988-89."

ESPN's Bobby Marks had this to say when wondering how the trade could shift to an A in the Pelians favor:

How to get an A this season: If this trade never happened

"It is easy to play Monday morning quarterback, and as Kevin pointed out, as nobody could have predicted the impact of Daniels in Atlanta plus New Orleans sitting at the bottom of the standings. The Murray trade is an illustration that one ill-fated move can turn a playoff team to one competing for the top pick in the draft. There are several layers on how the trade impacts New Orleans moving forward. First, New Orleans is $1.4 million over the luxury tax because of Murray's trade bonus. The Pelicans have never paid the tax and will likely shed salary prior to the Feb. 6 deadline. Second, does Murray still fit into the rebuilding Pelicans' plans that would include Ingram being traded? Murray has $65 million left on his contract after this season."

While Daniels has been the main story from this trade (for good reason), Nance has been a very good depth piece when healthy and the Hawks will now have a first round pick thanks to the Lakers pick being unprotected. Atlanta is still without assets due to the original Murray trade, but they now have one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, one of the top backup options in the frontcourt, and a 1st round pick. The Hawks are by no means a perfect team, but this trade has given them a brighter future than they had before they made it.

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