Hawks, Pelicans Agree to Blockbuster Trade to Send Dejounte Murray to New Orleans
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 10: Trae Young #11 and Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks react against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on February 10, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Murray is heading to New Orleans.
The Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a blockbuster trade one day after the NBA Draft and two days before NBA Free Agency officially kicks off.
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The Hawks are trading star guard Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans for forward Larry Nance Jr., guard Dyson Daniels, and two first-round picks. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news of the trade.
This move comes just two days after the Hawks selected French prospect Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday. Then, ahead of Round 2 on Thursday, the Hawks traded a former first-round pick in forward AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets for a second-round pick.
The Hawks, coming off a disappointing season in which they went 36-46 and lost in the Play-In Tournament, needed to shake things up. They attempted to trade Murray at the trade deadline, but never ended up finding a landing spot for him. So, they waited until the offseason, and now accumulate multiple first-round picks along with a young player (Daniels) and a veteran role player (Nance Jr.).
As for the Pelicans, they're adding a former All-Star and All-Defensive Teamer who's bounced around over the last few seasons. Murray averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from deep, and 79.4 percent from the free throw line in 2023-24.
The Hawks were hoping the pair of Murray and All-Star point guard Trae Young would elevate the team to new heights after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season. However, the duo reached the playoffs just once over the last two seasons, and that lone appearance resulted in a first-round exit.
Murray is now joining a Pelicans team that has struggled to put it all together. They have the talent — led by Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum — but haven't gotten past the first round of the playoffs with this core. Murray should provide a huge boost as the Pelicans look to finally make a deep run in the postseason.
As for the return, the Hawks are banking on Daniels' upside, a former No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In 120 games over the last two seasons, Daniels is averaging 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals across 20 minutes per game.
Nance has been a solid role player his entire career and will provide solid two-way play for Atlanta if they wish to keep him. If not, he would likely be of interest to many NBA contenders.
With this trade, the Pelicans are proving to be all in on continuing to try to win with this core. As for the Hawks, it remains to be seen what direction they go in.
Is a Murray trade all they need to try to get back to their winning ways? Or could a trade involving Young be next as the team fully enters a rebuild?
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