New Mock Trade Sends Dejounte Murray + the No. 1 Pick To Detroit For Pair of Former Lottery Picks and No. 5 Pick

Who's ready for more mock trades?

There are going to be a relentless amount of mock trades in the coming weeks as Atlanta goes through the draft process. Because they won the Draft Lottery and got the No. 1 pick, there is going to be a lot more interest than if Atlanta had been at No. 10 like they were projected too.

There are going to be plenty of rumors around Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, as the duo appears to be headed for a split, though which one gets traded is up for debate. Could the Hawks trade one of them and rebuild around the other + the No. 1 pick? Could they trade one guard and trade down in the draft to acquire more draft capital for the future? Everything seems to be on the table for Atlanta, including staying put at No. 1 and taking the player they like the most.

Bleacher Report's Dan Favale had an interesting trade proposal that sees Atlanta move Murray and the No. 1 pick to Detroit for a pair of former lottery picks and the No. 5 pick.

The Trade

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, No. 5 pick

Detroit Pistons Receive: Dejounte Murray, No. 1 pick

Why The Hawks Do It

"This profiles as a soft reset for Atlanta. It would bust up the Murray-Trae Young backcourt—which feels like a fait accompli at this point—and move the Hawks down four spots to end up with the past three No. 5 picks.

That might suggest the Hawks are tracking toward a full-scale rebuild. But this is more like a reorientation.

Thompson would arrive in Atlanta as a defensive monster, equal parts disruptive and deliberate. His shooting is nonexistent—and his rookie season ended early due to a blood clot—but the Hawks could cobble together enough scoring so long as Trae Young is still running the show.

Ivey isn't someone whom the Hawks could count on deploying beside other ball-dominant guards. He doesn't have the requisite shooting stroke to jell in that context as of now. But perhaps he looks better outside the cramped confines of Detroit's offense (and head coach Monty Williams' doghouse). Failing that, Atlanta could look to capitalize on whatever remaining value he has in a subsequent trade.

Drafting someone at No. 5 who promises to make an instant impact is a tall order, and neither Thompson nor Ivey is especially deep into their career. This move would mandate degrees of patience from Atlanta. But it should have a few interesting wings from which to choose at No. 5, and more importantly, it shouldn't be afraid of taking its time.

Resets, however soft, do not always materialize overnight. This package would give the Hawks a shot at reshuffling the makeup and long-term outlook of the supporting cast around Young. And if they're intent on moving him as well and completely starting over, this return would bring back enough developmental upside to offset the draft-pick equity they'll send to San Antonio from 2025 through 2027.

Why The Pistons Do It

Detroit will be angling for substantive improvement next season, no matter who's running the front office. Five consecutive years of winning 23 or fewer games has a way of grating on an organization. Between spending hefty amounts of money on Monty Williams, demoting front office czar Troy Weaver and entering Year 4 of the Cade Cunningham era, the Pistons are starting to feel the weight of their extended (if somewhat aimless) stint in the doldrums.

Armed with potentially more than $60 million in cap space, Detroit's inevitable remaking may mostly play out in free agency or via trades that latch onto proven performers, perhaps at the expense of its young core. This trade follows that line of thought—without too urgently accelerating the timeline.

Sending out Thompson would be a risk. Even without a jump shot, he injects All-NBA defense and some tertiary driving and ball movement. But Murray is a demonstrative spacing and floor-general upgrade over anything the Pistons already have in place, and he's about to kick off one of the league's most team-friendly extensions (four years, $114.1 million).

Grabbing the No. 1 pick, meanwhile, would allow Detroit to contemplate a possible Alex Sarr-Jalen Duren duo or target another wing whom it doesn't believe will be available at No. 5. This deal would lose luster from the Pistons' end if they don't think Sarr stretches the floor enough to preserve spacing beside another big, but Duren isn't nearly good enough to dictate how they build around Cunningham. If they believe in Sarr's prospective range—or are super high on Zaccharie Risacher—this is at least a conversation.

Jettisoning Ivey on top of Thompson would be tough to stomach. But the Pistons have to be realistic about his trade value. It likely isn't exorbitantly high, and it may only get worse unless they better tailor the roster to his on-ball strengths.

Burning a chunk of cap space on this package shouldn't bother Detroit, either. Murray is likely far better than anyone whom the Pistons can realistically sign, and this deal has them taking on under $15 million additional salary, leaving them plenty of maneuverability for both free agency and other trades."

This is not a trade that I am a fan of. I think the Hawks could get a lot more for Murray than either Thompson or Ivey, who are both fine players, but not huge centerpieces of a deal. Thompson would make a ton of sense from a defensive point of view and that is going to be one of Atlanta's biggest focuses this offseason. If he develops a jump shot, he has All-NBA potential. Ivey has not lived up to his draft status, but it is fair to wonder if he got a fair deal in Detroit. He could start or come off the bench for Atlanta.

If the Hawks really like Alex Sarr, the projected No. 1 pick as of right now, they should not move down to No. 5 because he is highly unlikely to be there. If they move down to five, players like Donovan Clingan, Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland, and Zaccharie Risacher could be targets. Just yesterday, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, general manager Landry Fields, and assistant general manager Kyle Korver were there to chekc out Risacher.

Dimanche soir, Atlanta a hérité du premier choix de draft #NBA à la surprise générale.
Quatre jours plus tard, le coach des Hawks, Quin Snyder, et le GM adjoint Kyle Korver ont fait le déplacement jusqu’à Bourg pour observer Zaccharie Risacher en playoffs de #BetclicÉLITE ! pic.twitter.com/N2l9ZrQ2yQ
— Alexandre Lacoste (@Alex__Lacoste) May 16, 2024

While most of the attention is going to be on Sarr, it would be malpractice for the Hawks to not look atevery option in front of them. This pick is critical for their future and they need to nail this selection right. I also think it is possible if they like Risacher enough, they could trade down to get him while acquiring some extra draft capital.

Risacher has the most range of anyone in this draft, meaning I have seen him projected to go near the top, but also seen him towards the 7-10 range. He is a talented wing player who would bring versatility and athleticism to the position and fill a lot of needs for the Hawks. The question with him is on the offensive end, especially his consistency. This is another high-risk proposition for the Hawks if they take him, but his upside and potential is clearly there.

This week at the NBA Draft Combine, ESPN's Jonathan Givony was talking about the Hawks and what they might do with the No. 1 pick and he suggested that there could be a wide net cast with that pick and suggested other players that could be in the mix with the pick:

"The Atlanta Hawks have a long process in front of them that includes interviews, medicals, workouts, background checks, and I think that they are going to cast a wide net here with Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, and Donovan Clingan. I think it is going to be quite a process here for them to figure out who they are going to take."

I fully expect Atlanta to go through and look at every possible outcome with the No. 1 pick, though I think Sarr should still be considered the favorite. I know that Givony mentioned Dillingham, but he is one of the few players at the top of this draft that I don't think the Hawks will take, even if they decide to trade Trae Young. Anything can happen, but I think the probability of the Hawks taking Dillingham is low. Matas Buzelis, a player that was not mentioned by Givony, is a player that is more likely to be considered for the No. 1 pick than Dillingham.

There are six weeks until the 2024 NBA Draft and it is going to be a crucial time period for the Hawks. Even if they did not land the No. 1 pick, it was going to be a huge offseason in Atlanta. This just adds another layer to it and the Hawks front office and decision makers need to make the right decisions to set this franchise up for the future.