There was a lot of smoke leading up to the 2022 NBA Draft about a potential trade sending San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for a package centered around John Collins.
Obviously, it didn’t happen on draft night, but that doesn’t mean a deal can’t still get done, even if some of the main pieces of the trade aren’t included. One NBA insider suggests there’s now more momentum than ever for a potential Murray to the Hawks trade.
Hawks on verge of acquiring Dejounte Murray
As Zach Klein reports, the Hawks are ‘on the verge‘ of acquiring Murray, but the trade isn’t likely to include John Collins at all.
Instead, Klein states the deal would look like this:
- Hawks get: Dejounte Murray
- Spurs get: Danilo Gallinari, multiple first-round picks
Gallinari’s $21.4 million salary would be included to make the trade work under NBA financial trade rules, but the fact that it’s an expiring contract makes it a bit more valuable, not only to the Spurs, but possibly to other teams looking to gain cap space in 2023 as well.
The Hawks already have the first-round pick from the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, in addition to still holding their own pick in next year’s NBA Draft as well. While this trade may or may not include the three first-round picks the Spurs were said to be after, it gets them close. And who knows, maybe multiple really does mean three.
Of course, there’s always a chance for ‘pick swaps’ to be included as well, allowing the Spurs to swap their draft positioning with the Hawks, should it be more advantageous, depending on their regular season record.
While this trade is still in the rumor stage, clearly Zach Klein of ABC in Atlanta is hearing the deal is nearing completion. Stand by for more updates on the matter.
Related: Dejounte Murray, Trae Young reportedly want to play together: How a trade could work