Hawks pitch knocks down Dejounte Murray, more for championship trio

The Atlanta Hawks can go in many different directions this offseason.

The idea that their plans should include trading one or both of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray this offseason hasn’t gone away with several possible landing spots and packages floating around the rumor mill.

Barring a sudden change of heart, tanking remains an unlikely outcome considering they don’t control their own draft picks for several seasons thanks to the Murray trade.

Sending Murray and Young to destinations like the Orlando Magic or Charlotte Hornets, as Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley suggests, would likely produce returns that would help the Hawks in the future more than the middleman.

However, Buckley suggests a trade sending Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Golden State Warriors for a package featuring Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Jonathan Kuminga.

This pitch aims to help the Warriors return to championship form.

However, as last season showed, the Hawks could use more quality depth as much as star power. This deal brings in a trio of players with championship pedigree.

Kevon Looney, 28, is expected to be released, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. He averaged 4.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, ceding playing time to 2023 second-round pick Trayce Jackson-Davis last season. The 6-foot-9 center is entering the final year of a two-year, $22.5 million contract.

His deal is only partially guaranteed for $3 million of his $8 million salary through June 24.

Andrew Wiggins, 29, averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 35.8 percent from beyond the arc last season.

He’s entering the second year of a four-year, $109 million pact and will count $26.2 million against the salary cap next season. This is the biggest hit in this hypothetical deal, beating out Murray’s $25.3 million in the first year of his four-year, $114 million pact.

Wiggins also has a $30.2 million player option for this final season.

Jonathan Kuminga is only listed for $7.7 million next season. But he needs to earn new money, with 2024-25 being the final season of his four-year, $24.8 million rookie deal.

Kuminga is headed to restricted free agency after the 2024-25 season, giving the team he is on at the end of the season control of his playing future. This could allay some fears of having to give him a new contract.

Looney and Wiggins’ defense and rebounding have been storylines during title runs and even the NBA Finals.

Kuminga began to marry his natural athletic abilities with refined skills.

Buckley notes that both teams would have to undergo some cost-cutting measures to make the trade permissible, although that would be a much bigger issue for the Warriors than the Hawks. This deal would cut about $600,000 off the Hawks’ bottom line.

Category – A: While this deal is intended to strengthen the Warriors, it complements the Hawks’ roster and gives them even more flexibility if they pivot.