The Atlanta Hawks’ trade of All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday rocked the NBA world.
Atlanta received Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., EJ Liddell and two first-round picks from New Orleans for Murray. It was perceived below-market value for one of the best two-way guards in the Association.
For some, this is a clear indication that general manager Landry Fields and Co. are going to blow it up. With Murray and Trae Young in the mix this past season, the Hawks couldn’t even make it out of the NBA Play-In Tournament.
This is highly unlikely to be the case given what the Hawks gave up for Murray in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Let us explain.
Related: Updated Atlanta Hawks news and rumors
Atlanta Hawks can’t afford to go into full-scale rebuild mode
Each of the Hawks’ own first-round picks over the next three years are headed to the Spurs. Each one is unprotected.
It really makes no sense for Atlanta to go into rebuild mode if they are not going to be making their selections in the first place. That would be simply handing San Antonio three absolutely huge assets to team up with Victor Wembanyama.
This means that the Hawks are highly likely to hang on to the aformentioned Trae Young. He has been involved in trade rumors throughout the entire offseason.