The San Antonio Spurs are about where they planned to be. The Atlanta Hawks’ first-round pick in the Dejounte Murray trade landed at No. 14, as expected.
The San Antonio Spurs have not always come out on top in transactions, but one that they accomplished well was moving on from Dejounte Murray at the appropriate time. It would have been tempting to keep the young All-Star guard, but the Spurs realized that they were not ready to compete and that it was more valuable to them to “sell high” on the trade market than to keep him during a rebuilding period.
When the Atlanta Hawks came knocking, the Spurs were more than willing to arrange a trade that would return a chest full of riches to the Alamo. Three first-round picks plus a first-round exchange was a large sum for a player with a limited ceiling like Murray, and it was problematic from the outset given that the Hawks already had an All-Star point guard.
While one of the picks was a tightly protected first from the Charlotte Hornets that never went through, the other three were all unprotected and sequential: the Spurs will control the Hawks’ draft for three years, with unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 sandwiched by an unprotected trade in 2026.
The Spurs’ front management executed a superb piece of negotiation, betting that something would not turn out as Atlanta had planned. If the Hawks were a top-tier playoff club throughout this span, the Spurs would still get a set of firsts, which is a perfectly acceptable worst-case scenario.
If the Hawks stumbled, as they undoubtedly have, the value of those picks would increase. The combination of two on-ball point guards did not work in Atlanta, and they have already moved on from Murray. However, the major cost of the transfer has yet to be paid out.
In other words, the Hawks will have no influence over their draft for the next three years, and Murray will not be on their roster during any of those seasons.
The future seems bright for the Dejounte Murray move.
One could argue that the Hawks are a team with room to grow. Jalen Johnson is a blossoming star at forward; Dyson Daniels earned the league’s Most Improved Player and the first pick. Zaccherie Risacher came on late and appears to be a long-term starter, if not more. With the steady Onyeka Okongwu, you have a young and robust core. This could be the Hawks’ final appearance in the lottery for the next three years.
On the other hand, the Hawks rely heavily on Trae Young, who may be the league’s most overrated player. He demonstrated with Murray that he cannot fit into any off-ball role, and while putting the ball in his hands generates good offense, it is unlikely to create spectacular offense. Atlanta’s ceiling is capped with Young at the helm, and he may agitate his way out of town—or be Luka’d by the front office and sent packing.
That is all to come; for now, the Spurs may enjoy this year’s draft pick and make a second lottery selection.
They may either sign another young player to strengthen their core around Victor Wembanyama or include it in a deal for a third star to combine with Wemby and De’Aaron Fox.
In any case, the Dejounte Murray transaction has resulted in a premium asset, and the final location of that choice has been determined. Now the real fun begins.
Leave a Reply