New Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Dejounte Murray to Charlotte for Three Players + Multiple First Round Picks

Heading into the NBA Draft Lottery, the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks thought they would be in two different positions. Charlotte had one of the worst records in the league and thought they would be picking near the top. Atlanta had 3% odds to win the lottery and were supposed to be picking 10th or later, but shocked everyone and won the lottery. Charlotte fell to No. 6, but they might not mind that considering how weak this draft is according to many draft analysts.

It is going to be an interesting offseason for both teams. Atlanta has to decide who to select with the No. 1 pick, they have to figure out what to do with the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt, and they need to decide what to do with other players on their roster such as Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Hawks front office has a lot of work in front of them in the next few weeks.

Charlotte has young talent, but they have not been able to turn it into winning, though injuries have not helped them. LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams could not stay healthy last season and they still have to decide what to do with Miles Bridges. Rookie Brandon Miller looks like a potential star and if Ball and Williams stay healthy next year, this team could make some noise. Would they try and make a trade to accelerate that process?

The Hawks and the Hornets have not been mentioned as trade partners much this offseason, but Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley made a trade proposal for both teams that lands Charlotte one of the top players on the trading block:

The trade: Dejounte Murray to the Charlotte Hornets for Grant Williams, Nick Richards, Nick Smith Jr., a 2027 first-round pick (top-two-protected, via DAL) and a 2027 first-round pick (lottery-protected, via MIA)

"Until Atlanta actually breaks up its backcourt, it feels safe to consider both Murray and Trae Young as realistic trade candidates. And if the Hawks want to maximize their return, it might behoove them to move the more coveted Murray, who isn't nearly as ball-dominant and could be an asset instead of a liability on defense.

Murray could be an incredible complement to LaMelo Ball, and the age gap between them isn't enormous (five years). Each could create shots for the other, and Murray would tackle the defensive assignments in the backcourt Ball couldn't handle. Tack on Brandon Miller, a hopefully healthy Mark Williams and whomever the Hornets select with the upcoming No. 6 pick, and that's an intriguing nucleus with some really interesting high-end outcomes potentially ahead of it.

As for the Hawks, they need to have fans of these three incoming players in their front office to make this work, but that's at least possible. Williams could increase the frontcourt's versatility, Richards could soak up backup minutes whenever Atlanta finds a taker for Clint Capela, and Smith could blossom as an instant offense sub sooner than later. Throw in a pair of lightly protected picks—Miami's 2027 first becomes unprotected in 2028 if it doesn't convey—and Atlanta either has the shelves restocked for a youth movement or perhaps boasts the assets needed to get Young a new co-star."

I like Williams and Richards, but I don't think this is a trade that helps the Hawks win. I think they would try and move those draft picks for other pieces if they could. Williams improved Charlotte's defense and was a good three-point shooter when they traded for him, but he was not very good on Dallas. Richards is a solid backup, but not a player that moves the needle. The picks could be valuable, but the Dallas pick is not likely to be very high next year and the pick from Miami is lottery protected. The Hawks front office needs to show they are building a winner around Trae Young this offseason and I don't think this trade does that.