Jazz Must Tune In to Trade Rumors Surrounding Former All-Star Guard
Despite not even escaping the NBA Finals yet, it seems more NBA offseason rumors are appearing with each passing day. While the main storylines surround James Harden’s decision, Kyrie Irving’s decision, or what the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors are looking to do, some whispers have tended to fly under the radar.
One rumor that has gotten some traction within the past couple days comes from the Atlanta Hawks, and the possibility of trading guard Dejounte Murray, the former 1x All-Star. According to Eric Picnus of Bleacher Report, if the right situation were to come up for the Hawks, there would be an opportunity to put Murray in a deal.
If this were to come to form, it would be a pretty shocking decision from their front office. It’s only been one season since the Hawks acquired the 26-year-old guard, turning around one calendar year just to pivot is extremely sudden.
I mean, Atlanta traded three first round picks and a pick swap to get him. After just one underwhelming season, it seems ill-advised to not let this experiment play out just a bit longer.However, I’m not the one calling the shots.
If Dejounte Murray really is on the block though, the Utah Jazz should pick up the phone as soon as possible.
While we saw a bit of a decline in terms of statistical averages this season, Murray was demoted to a secondary role behind Trae Young. When we’ve gotten a chance to see Murray on a team centered around his production (i.e. 2022), he’s more than capable of posting close to triple-double averages (21.1/8.3/9.2).
Adding a guard with elite defensive and playmaking upside is exactly what this team could use. Murray perfectly aligns with this, and it’s what makes him such an interesting target for Utah. He would fit pretty smoothly with the Lauri Markkanen timeline as well, so the logical ‘team-building’ fit is there as well.
For a potential trade package Utah could put together, look no further than their draft assets. If the Hawks are essentially looking to ‘re-do’ this trade as it currently seems, recouping a couple of firsts back from a team like Utah would be practical. Likely, you’d see one or two additional players thrown in a deal, but regardless, it’s a low-risk gamble for the Jazz with immense upside.
While these Murray rumors have been on the quiet side up to this point, we’ll see if the Hawks become more inclined to make a drastic change surrounding Trae Young’s backcourt mate.
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