And you thought the 2024 NBA Draft would end the chaos until NBA free agency kicks off on Sunday. Nope. The New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks had other ideas, agreeing to a blockbuster trade on Friday evening.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks have traded Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., E.J. Liddell, and two first-round picks (2025 via Lakers, 2027 least-favorable btwn Bucks/Pels).
Full trade on ESPN: Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Bucks-Pels) https://t.co/4BLEuDodqT
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2024
Murray was rumored to be on the trade block, even dating back to the NBA trade deadline during the regular season. For some, this came as a shock, considering the Hawks had just traded for him in June of 2022. But the reality is, Atlanta just never came close to reaching their goals. If anything, they got worse after landing Murray.
Before they got him, the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. The next season, they suffered a first-round playoff elimination. Then Murray arrived, and once again, the Hawks were eliminated in the first round in his debut season in Atlanta. The very next year, the Hawks couldn’t even reach the postseason, leading to trade rumors heating up even further.
As for the Pelicans, they too have been actively involved in NBA trade rumors this offseason, with Brandon Ingram being a popular discussion topic. This move could bring New Orleans closer to striking a deal that sends Ingram out of town, or maybe they see this as one all-in move for the upcoming season.
Either way, the Pelicans just got a lot better, and the Hawks have seemingly taken a brief step back just two days after making Zachharie Risacher the top pick in the NBA Draft. It’s a bold strategy; we’ll see how it plays out for both teams.
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