The beginning weeks of the NBA's 2023 Free Agency period were highlighted by teams re-signing some of their most important free agents.

The Indiana Pacers re-signed guard Tyrese Haliburton to a five-year, $260-million contract extension last week. The Portland Trail Blazers re-signed forward Jerami Grant to a five-year, $160 million contract, keeping a forward who averaged 20.5 points per game for the team last season.

Teams also added key players to strengthen their rosters heading into next season. The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a sign-and-trade for Heat guard Max Strus on top of adding Philadelphia 76ers forward Georges Niang and re-signing guard Caris LeVert to a two-year, $32 million contract extension. The Phoenix Suns agreed to deals with multiple free agents, including forward Keita Bates-Diop, Drew Eubanks and Yuta Watanabe, in an attempt to add bench depth behind their star-studded starting five.

Now that the dust has settled, what is the best move the Hawks made during the NBA's Free Agency period?

Re-signing Dejounte Murray

The Atlanta Hawks re-signed guard Dejounte Murray to a four-year, $120 million contract extension. The signing became official on Sunday.

“DJ is someone we want to continue to build with,” Hawks General Manager Landry Fields said in a July release. “He's a dynamic talent with the heart of a leader. He leads by example, is an unselfish teammate, and truly cares about winning.”

Murray, the former 29th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals for the Hawks last season. Atlanta traded for Murray and center Jock Landale in 2022 in exchange for forward Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and one pick swap. He had spent six seasons in San Antonio before the trade, earning averages of 12.5 points, six rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Murray's season was highlighted by a 41-point, five-rebound and six-assist performance in an 18-point win over the Blazers in March, a game that saw him hit 17 of his 22 field goals and all five of his tries from the 3-point line as the Hawks took a 129-111 victory in State Farm Arena.

The Hawks locked down a player who scored 20 points or more 39 times last season until at least the 2027-28 season. Should he accept his player option that year, he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2028. If he can continue to work alongside two-time All-Star guard Trae Young and some of the roster's more experienced options, he will have plenty of time to pave the path towards a successful career in Atlanta for the foreseeable future.

The Hawks have 16 players under contract for the 2023-24 season, according to sports contract and salaries website Spotrac. Young, center Clint Capela and forward De'Andre Hunter highlight some of the players who could suit up for Atlanta next season. The team traded forward John Collins to the Utah Jazz in late June in exchange for forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick. The Hawks would ship Gay, guard TyTy Washington, forward Usman Garuba and a second-round choice to the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Patty Mills on Saturday.

Atlanta will have plenty of depth at the guard spot after it selected Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin with the 15th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It added former Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye and Penn State guard Seth Lundy during the Draft. Gueye could be a solid backup option if he can take reps at the four early on.