One of the first big moves of the NBA offseason was the Atlanta Hawks dismantling their backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. The Hawks sent Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, EJ Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks. Many felt this was a move the Hawks had to make, and getting a potentially impactful player like Daniels and two draft picks was a win for the Hawks. Though the Hawks didn't recoup the original amount they paid for Murray, most around the league viewed this as a solid trade.
Except for one member of ESPN's NBA panel. ESPN put together a panel of “18 NBA coaches, scouts and executives to hear their thoughts on the most impactful moves of the summer and how they will affect the 2024-25 season.” When asked to vote for the worst moves of the offseason, Atlanta trading Murray was one of the moves that got votes. The Murray trade also got votes as the most surprising move.
I don't agree with either of them. The Hawks were going to trade either Young or Murray or both, but Young was the better player so trading him just didn't make sense. This combination didn't work out and they needed to move one of the players.
This is far from the worst move of the offseason. The Hawks didn't get a grand slam return for Murray, but they did get a potentially impactful player in Daniels (who was great in the Olympics) and two draft picks in a year they might not have had. The Lakers' 2025 pick is unprotected, and while I don't think the Lakers will be the worst team in the NBA, they could miss the playoffs due to the depth of the Western Conference. Daniels is one of the best defenders in the league, and the Lakers' pick guarantees the Hawks will get a pick in a draft that is considered to be well-stocked.
The Hawks didn't receive a high grade when ESPN graded their offseason performances last week. ESPN NBA analyst Kevin Pelton gave the Hawks a C+ for the offseason.
“While breaking up the Dejounte Murray-Trae Young duo was the right decision, the final Murray deal wasn't as constructive as initially thought. In order to avoid triggering the first apron hard cap with the New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta completed the deal on July 6, bringing back Cody Zeller in a sign-and-trade. This prevented the Hawks from letting injured forward Saddiq Bey become a restricted free agent. When Bey signed with the Washington Wizards, Atlanta got nothing.
If the Hawks are right in saying that No. 1 draft pick Zachary Lisacher was the best player in the draft without a unanimous top pick, the offseason will be much better. It's too early to tell, after Lisacher's shaky NBA Summer League debut.”
Atlanta didn't have the best offseason of any team in the NBA, but I think they added some quality players that should help address some of the biggest weaknesses they had last year.
