By Shams Charania, Hunter Patterson and Will Guillory
The Atlanta Hawks have traded guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans, league sources confirmed Friday. The Hawks are receiving Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, E.J. Lidell and two first-round picks from the Pelicans in return.
Pelicans are moving Larry Nance Jr. and two first-round picks to the Hawks for Dejounte Murray, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 28, 2024
Murray averaged 22.5 points, a career-high 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 36.3 percent shooting from 3-point range for the Hawks last season, his second in Atlanta after arriving from the San Antonio Spurs in a 2022 blockbuster.
The 27-year-old guard was an All-Star during his final season with the Spurs and was named to the All-Defensive second team during 2018. Murray has posted at least 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and a steal per game for the last three years.
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The Hawks underwhelmed in both of Murray’s years with the team, going 41-41 in 2022-23 and 36-46 in 2023-24. Murray also reportedly clashed with Hawks star guard Trae Young, who is a three-time All-Star and signed a five-year max deal in 2022.
What motivated New Orleans to get this done?
New Orleans pulls off a fascinating move that’s been in the making for quite some time. The Pelicans and Hawks were deep in negotiations on a potential Murray deal before the trade deadline in February, but both sides decided to walk away.
While New Orleans has been in constant trade rumors lately involving Brandon Ingram as he enters the last year of his contract, pulling off a deal like this to acquire a former All-Star without including Ingram is a massive win for the Pelicans.
Murray brings a true point guard with defensive chops to a team that struggled mightily to execute late in games last season. New Orleans will have to figure out how to fit Murray next to CJ McCollum in the backcourt, but having another ballhandling option with size, vision and scoring ability should make life much easier for Zion Williamson.
The big question now will be is this trade an indication that Ingram is staying with the Pelicans or is this just the first move before New Orleans pull off another blockbuster at a later date? — Will Guillory, Pelicans beat writer
Required reading
- Pelicans-Hawks trade grades: Is New Orleans a contender with Dejounte Murray?
- With Dejounte Murray trade, Hawks finally move forward and reset around Trae Young — for now
- Pelicans enter NBA Draft needing to find their center of the future
(Photo: Stephen Lew / USA Today)