Atlanta Hawks trade Dejounte Murray for two first-round picks

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks are trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for forward Larry Nance Jr., guard Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Murray arrived to the Hawks in June 2022, joining Atlanta in exchange for four first-round picks and forward Danilo Gallinari. He played in 152 games over two seasons with the Hawks, averaging 21.5 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. He also shot 36% from 3-point range during his time with the Hawks.

Despite his statistical production, the Hawks haven’t achieved much over the past two seasons. They were 77-87 in the regular season and missed the playoffs last season. Atlanta made a big gamble by sending four first-round picks for Murray, and it didn’t pay off.

Now it appears the Hawks are looking to recoup some of what they lost in that deal.

The two draft picks the Hawks received in this trade should help the team re-energize around All-NBA point guard Trae Young and new No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher. They will get these picks in 2025 and 2027 respectively, when Risacher will have already gained good NBA experience.

That’s not all the Hawks got from the Murray trade. Dyson Daniels, a 2.03 m guard from Canberra, Australia, was the 8th pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

Daniels has played 120 games in his NBA career so far, but has never been better than a lottery pick. His three-point shooting—a meager 31 percent from three—leaves a lot to be desired. He’s young, but he’ll have to show tremendous improvement to earn the No. 8 pick he was drafted at.

Meanwhile, Larry Nance Jr. is nearing the end of his NBA career. The 31-year-old forward is the son of a former NBA All-Star and has already played for four teams in his career.

The Hawks could choose to trade him again to another team. Otherwise, he could be a reliable plug-and-play forward for his rebounding and interior scoring ability.