The Atlanta Hawks made two winning trades this offseason

Strong points

The Atlanta Hawks have fixed their net issues on the court – Murray and Young had negative net ratings together and struggled on both ends.
The Hawks addressed their defensive issues by acquiring perimeter defenders and increasing wing depth.
The Murray trade, the acquisition of defensive help and the addition of wingers indicate the Hawks are focused on the playoffs.

Since Atlanta Hawks took the Milwaukee Bucks through six games in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, they were unable to replicate that success. Atlanta traded for Dejounte Murray in the 2022 offseason to bring more shot creation and defense to the backcourt alongside Trae Young . However, the results showed that the custody partnership did not work out as general manager Landry Fields had intended.

THE Boston Celtics eliminated the Hawks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, and Atlanta failed to qualify for the playoffs after losing in a crushing fashion to the Chicago Bulls in the nine-on-ten play-in game this season. Fields knew he had to make big roster changes this summer to get the Hawks back on track. Trading Murray to the The New Orleans Pelicans The acquisition of defensive help and the selection/signing of wing depth are all signs that Atlanta is addressing needs for the 2024-25 campaign.

“Our goal is to build a competitive team that can compete in the playoffs… It became clear after further analysis and evaluation this offseason that we needed to reshape our roster and bring back assets that would allow us to further develop our team… It is certainly difficult to trade a player like DJ, but we knew it was best for our organization to move forward in this manner. We wish him and his family the best.” – Landry Fields

The Importance of Separating Star Guards

On/off numbers show Murray and Young did not get along well on the field

Trae Young and Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks

On the surface, Murray and Young appear to have hit it off offensively. Murray has averaged record highs in many offensive categories.

Dejounte Murray Career Statistics for 2023-24
Category	Value
PPG	22.5
3 p.m.	2.6
3PA	7.1
FGA	18.8
3FG%	52.8

Murray has adapted well to becoming an off-ball catch-and-shoot threat compared to his time with the San Antonio Spurs .

However, he didn’t provide the on-ball and point-of-attack defense Atlanta envisioned when they acquired him. Opposing guards consistently overwhelmed Young and Murray, forcing the Hawks’ defense to collapse, leading to open three-pointers in the corners and more penetration into the paint. Atlanta allowed 32.4 field goal attempts from within five feet this season, fourth-most in the conference. They also finished 27th in defensive rating on the season.

Perhaps the most telling statistic that Murray and Young were not the right team comes from their offensive, defensive and net ratings when they were on the court.

With their two best players on the court, Atlanta had a net rating of -4.0 for the season — a shocking statistic. The Hawks often started games slowly with their starting lineup of Young, Murray, De’Andre Hunter , Jalen Johnson And Clint Capela When head coach Quin Snyder shifted the two point guards, Atlanta was more efficient on both sides of the ball.

The two guards also had different styles of running pick-and-rolls in Snyder’s offense. Murray preferred to take a slower approach, snaking around the screen and hitting his patented mid-range shot. He didn’t put as much pressure on the basket as Young, who often looked to turn the corner on a drive or find Capela, Johnson or Onyeka Okongwu for an alley-oop slam. The three-time All-Star finished second in the NBA in points and assists created at 27.1 per game.

Acquire perimeter defense and wing depth

Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher will have immediate impact in Atlanta

Paolo Banchero Orlando Magic Dyson Daniels New Orleans Pelicans

Atlanta received Dyson Daniels , Larry Nance Jr. , EJ Liddell , Cody Zeller and two first-round picks from the Pelicans in exchange for Murray. Daniels is expected to play the biggest role among these new players. His perimeter defense will instantly give the Hawks a boost at the point of attack, putting less pressure on the back line. At 6’4″, Daniels defends both wings and guards extremely well.

He’s a good candidate to start at shooting guard next season. However, he needs to improve his outside shooting. Daniels attempted 2.2 three-pointers per game and shot 31.1 percent from three last season. Playing next to Young in an offense with more space should help him have a better chance of hitting three-pointers.

The Hawks took Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. The 6-foot-10 forward is expected to play a significant role in Atlanta, whether as a starter or backup. Last season, when Johnson, Hunter and later Saddiq Bey The Hawks have been dealing with injuries and wing depth has been depleted. However, Field has replenished Atlanta’s forward depth this summer with Risacher, Lives in Krejci Liddell and the 2024 second-round pick, Nikola Djurisic .

Krejčí had a nice late-season performance when he rejoined the rotation after Bey tore his ACL, earning him a four-year, $10 million contract. Liddell had two solid performances in the NBA2K25 Summer League, scoring 22 points and adding four blocks against the Spurs in the Hawks’ second game.

Atlanta doesn’t appear to be headed for a rebuild. It appears the team wants to build a roster around the Young-Johnson duo. Johnson burst onto the scene this season as a Most Improved Player candidate before ankle injuries came to haunt him late in the season. Will Fields’ trade this summer fix the defensive issues and get the franchise back to the playoffs? Only time will tell.