We knew this offseason would be full of fireworks from the Atlanta Hawks, and it didn’t take long for things to explode. On Wednesday, Atlanta made Zaccharie Risacher the #1 overall pick in the draft. The next day, they sent 2022 first-round pick A.J. Griffin to the Houston Rockets, but the real bombshell was dropped by Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday night, as the Hawks are sending Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, and two first-round picks.
Full trade on ESPN: Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Bucks-Pels) https://t.co/4BLEuDodqT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2024
Landry Fields knew the Trae Young and Dejounte Murray relationship had run its course. The two don’t work together on the floor at all, and it had been a large enough sample size to realize things weren’t going to get better overnight. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but there were questions about who might the Hawks choose to build around.
As of now, it looks like the answer is Trae Young, unless Atlanta opts to completely rebuild and trade them both, but that would be tough to do considering the Hawks don’t own their first-round pick in 2025 or 2027.
To the return for Dejounte Murray, it may not be sexy, but it’s certainly not a bad package. The 2025 first-round pick is from the Lakers, which most might expect to be in the 20s; however, the Western Conference is loaded, and it’s possible Los Angeles ends up missing the postseason entirely. Who knows how the Pelicans will look in 2027, so that could also turn out to be a valuable selection down the line.
Atlanta received two players in Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr as well. Daniels is someone Hawks fans should be very excited about. He’s a 6-foot-8 wing that specializes defensively. Lord knows Atlanta desperately needs to do a better job surrounding Trae Young with length, and Daniels will go a long way in fixing an issue that has plagued this team over the last two seasons. If he can develop some more on the offensive end and become a better shooter from deep, he could end up being a building block for the future in Atlanta.
Larry Nance Jr. is nothing special, but he should benefit greatly from Trae Young as a lob threat and will be a decent Clint Capela replacement if Capela is indeed traded as well this offseason.
—
Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.