New Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sees Atlanta Send Dejounte Murray to Brooklyn for Huge Pick and Players Package

The Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets were battling (a nice word to use) for the last play-in spot in the Eastern Conference this season, but both teams have uncertain futures heading into this offseason. The Hawks are likely looking to move on from the Trae Young and Dejounte Murray pairing in the backcourt, they have to figure out who to select with the No. 1 pick, and they have to decide if players like Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are a part of their future. Brooklyn does not have their own draft picks due to trades made in the past and they have an average team as currently constructed. They are a team that could try and make trades to put more pieces around Mikal Bridges and try to become a playoff team.

Would the Nets consider trading for Murray this offseason to pair him with Bridges and Nic Claxton (if they re-sign him)? The Nets were rumored to be interested in Murray leading up to the trade deadline and could try to land him again this summer. Bleacher Report's Dan Favale proposed a trade for the two teams this offseason that sees Murray land in Brooklyn while the Hawks get some players and picks in return, including a former first-round pick of theirs:

Brooklyn Nets Receive: Dejounte Murray

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schröder, Phoenix's 2025 first-round pick (top-eight protection; turns into 2028 and 2029 seconds if not conveyed); 2027 first-round pick (second most favorable from Brooklyn, Houston, Philadelphia or Phoenix)

There's a chance the Nets are itching to take a bigger swing than acquiring Dejounte Murray. They don't control their own first-round pick until 2028, and general manager Sean Marks doesn't sound like someone who wants to shepherd the franchise through another rebuild.

Then again, there's also the chance Brooklyn has zero designs on unloading first-round equity. Team governor Joe Tsai recently talked about the organization's intent to follow a "longer-term approach."

Consolidating some, but not all, of the team's assets into Murray strikes a nice middle ground.

The Nets need a primary ball-handler and playmaker. Murray isn't elite in either category, but he's an upgrade over everyone they have and immediately makes life easier, at both ends, on Mikal Bridges.

Pairing these two fringe-stars doesn't automatically vault Brooklyn into contention, but the balance on their contracts will preserve future flexibility. Bridges remains a steal with two years and $48.2 million left on his deal. Murray's four-year, $114 million extension kicks in next season and is set to age like a fine wine.

Jettisoning two first-rounders isn't nothing. But the Nets get to keep most of their ultra-distant goodies from other teams, and this deal gets easier to embrace knowing they'd retain their access to over $60 million in cap space next summer (depending on various other roster decisions).

Atlanta's side ends up being the tougher sell. This amounts to less than it paid to land Murray. But it gets a plug-and-play combo forward in Finney-Smith, who could remain on the books at a reasonable cost through 2025-26 ($15.4 million player option) and a serviceable backup point guard on top of draft equity.

Nabbing two first-rounders during years when the Hawks will send their own pick outright to San Antonio is also a shrewd bit of asset management and mapping. Especially when both selections have upside, thanks to their previous owners' downside."

This is not a trade that I like for the Hawks. Don't get me wrong, Finney-Smith would help the Hawks defense and he is a good player, but he is the only real valuable piece the Hawks get back in this trade. Schroder does not fit with this team and while the draft picks are helpful, they don't promise to be high picks. Murray is a valuable trade piece and the Hawks need to get more for him than this.

Last month, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz listed three teams who would be the best its for Murray if he were to be traded and they included some intriguing, but not new names:

"The last time Dejounte Murray got to be the lead point guard and primary ball-handler for a full season, he was named to the All-Star team while averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He's the only player in NBA history to ever post those averages across a full season.

The Atlanta Hawks traded for Murray in 2022 and moved him to more of an off-ball role next to Trae Young, but it's been a failure for everyone involved. The Hawks went 36-46 this season, a seven-win drop from the year before they sent three first-round picks to the San Antonio Spurs for Murray.

Teams that need a high-level starting point guard should be relentlessly calling Atlanta this summer. The 27-year-old Murray is beginning a team-friendly four-year, $114 million extension and is still an elite defender who would thrive if he returns to an on-ball role.

The Hawks should be open to trading Murray to add better-fitting pieces around Young. A return to the Spurs would make a lot of sense for Murray, and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic could be searching for a backcourt upgrade this summer."

Best Landing Spots: San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic

I have written that the Magic would be a natural trade partner with the Hawks due to the defensive players that have that Atlanta could then fit around Trae Young. Orlando needs a point guard who is also a strong defender and a trade between the two teams makes a lot of sense.

The Spurs traded Murray to the Hawks two summers ago, but they are still in need of a true point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama, who just had one of the best rookie seasons of all time. San Antonio might be ready to win sooner than people think and a move to get Murray back would make a ton of sense. Atlanta could get some of their draft capital back and Murray gets to go to a place that is familiar. He still has admiration for Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

The Lakers were rumored to be trying to deal for Murray leading up to this year's trade deadline. Would Los Angeles want Murray instead of Trae Young? If Atlanta decided to deal Murray and keep Young, it would not be a surprise to see the Lakers get involved again.

Another team that was not mentioned, but probably should be is the New Orleans Pelicans. Like Orlando, New Orleans needs a point guard and they have the kind of players that the Hawks need in return. A deal would make sense for both sides and might even involve Brandon Ingram.

There is still a ways to go before players start being dealt this offseason, but the Hawks are going to be right in the thick of nearly every conversation in what might be a wild summer.