Analyst Says Hawks Should Have Dealt Dejounte Murray At the Trade Deadline

The NBA Trade Deadline came and went and the Atlanta Hawks, despite being the most talked about team leading up to the deadline, opted to stay pat and ride out the rest of the season with the team they have. We will see whether that was a good decision or not, but the Hawks did not make any moves and that includes trading guard Dejounte Murray.

Murray was one of the most talked about players leading up to the deadline and teams like the Lakers, Pelicans, Knicks, Spurs, and others were rumored to be in the mix. When talking about one trade that every team wishes it would have made at the deadline, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley says the Hawks should have dealt Murray:

"Based on the volume of pre-deadline chatter around this club, Atlanta's inactivity at the deadline was surprising. Some could have also construed it as a vote of confidence in this core.

If that angle had any legs, though, those were quickly lopped off upon a post-deadline report from The Ringer's Howard Beck that All-Star guard Trae Young is "available." If the Hawks remain ready and willing to dismantle the roster, it should've got that ball rolling at the deadline.

Dejounte Murray was the best player on the trade market. When is that ever happening again? This was the Hawks' chance to capitalize on his value, and they let it slip away, all to simply hold together a group of players that feels like it could fracture in a matter of months. Atlanta appears on a fast track to nowhere; swapping out Murray for multiple assets—which he would have commanded in this market—would have at least given this franchise some direction."

Three Hawks Games To Circle For the Remainder of the Season

The Hawks's pairing of Murray with Trae Young has not had the results that the Hawks had hoped for when they first made the trade. Hawks GM Landry Fields was asked after the trade deadline about the future of the two guards playing together and this is what he had to say:

"The sample size is getting larger and larger and larger and assuming you're looking at specific lineups, and defensive and offensive ratings, which can always be debated as well.

Yeah, you're starting to see that more and more. And yeah I can't lie to you, the numbers speak to themselves on that.

But we're also interested in, well, let's say they are on the court together, and based off the numbers, its not working out.

Why is that? What are things we can do for them in the developmental aspect to make it look more like the on/off lineups I'm assuming that you're looking at? And ultimately that lays something out that is measurable.

Those are things now that from a development standpoint that you can look at and say 'Ok, can you progress in those areas?'

If you can't, then yeah, those are times like that- I'm not saying that's exactly how it is going to happen - with any player where you have to consider the changes that everyone would then be asking and looking for at the end of the day."

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