Hawks newcomer Dyson Daniels will thrive in Atlanta

After months of trade speculation, the Hawks have finally parted ways with Dejounte Murray. The two-way ball handler is headed to the Pelicans, with Dyson Daniels headlining the talent Atlanta acquired. Daniels is a former top-10 pick and is still only 21 years old.

By adding Daniels, the Hawks significantly improve their defense at the point of attack. His limited shooting and scoring ability made him a better fit than Murray, who required touches to be effective. Daniels will likely be tasked with focusing on defensive end. He can switch actions to protect Trae Young, a sometimes questionable defender.

“Daniels has two years left on a rookie deal that will pay him $6.1 million this year and $7.7 million next year,” The Athletic’s John Hollinger wrote of the trade. “He struggles to shoot and doesn’t really fit in New Orleans because there are so many other suspect shooters, but in Atlanta he becomes a key piece who could start to balance out the famed matador Young.”

Atlanta is slowly putting pieces around Young that complement him. The focus is clearly on improving its defense, which has been rotten in recent years, ranking 27th in the NBA last season. Daniels will thrive as a primary perimeter defender. He’s also young enough to continue improving for five or six years.

The Hawks are hoping forward Jalen Johnson can become Young’s star teammate. His presence on the wing has improved Atlanta on both sides of the ball and should ensure that the All-Star point guard isn’t forced to try to create all of his team’s offense on his own. Heliocentric basketball is not how a team wins a championship.

Young now has a team that can showcase his strengths. He needs to take advantage of that and start showing his leadership qualities. Getting Daniels in exchange for Murray was a masterstroke. He will now have the opportunity to continue his development by playing a lot of minutes in a starting lineup.

The Hawks are unlikely to be contenders any time soon, but at least they’re making moves to position themselves for internal growth.