Earlier this offseason, the Atlanta Hawks finally put an end to the Dejounte Murray experiment, sending the former All-Star guard to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and two first-round picks. The Hawks' trade for Murray was an attempt to give Trae Young an All-Star running mate as they looked to recapture the heights they reached in 2021 when they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, this partnership didn't exactly bear fruit as planned.
The Hawks, in 2023, were eliminated in the first round by the Boston Celtics, and then in 2024, they missed the playoffs entirely after Young missed 23 games and returned for just three games to end the year with a play-in tournament berth. Now, Atlanta is hitting the reset button, although Young recognized the team's attempt to pair together two All-Star guards in pursuit of winning. It simply did not work as well as they had hoped in the end.
“On the court, it's just tough. We wanted to win, but sometimes, we're not the first duo that couldn’t work and we’re not going to be the last,” Young said in an appearance on the most recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are both talented individuals who wanted to make the partnership work. Alas, the basketball-fit wasn't the most seamless, with Young and Murray preferring to handle the rock and make plays for others, and the Hawks underperformed over the two seasons that Murray spent in Atlanta.
But even though there is disappointment about not achieving much of anything during their time playing together, Young knows that he has a brother for life in Murray, even though they'll be opponents once again on the hardwood.
“The only bad part, we didn't get to win as much as we wanted to. The good part is, we have a lifelong relationship. Our relationship goes beyond basketball,” Young added.
Hawks pivot for the 2024-25 season
The lottery gods smiled upon the Hawks; despite finishing in a play-in tournament spot, they nabbed the first overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft and took Zaccharie Risacher, a toolsy forward who projects as a plus-shooter and plus-defender — a must-have for teams with contending aspirations.
Drafting Risacher has the Hawks pivoting towards more of a youth movement as they look to figure out what the right pieces around Trae Young are. Acquiring Dyson Daniels in the Dejounte Murray trade gives them a legitimate lockdown defender at the two, while more minutes could open up for Kobe Bufkin, the 15th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.
It might be time for the Hawks to start Onyeka Okongwu over Clint Capela as well. Capela's numbers have been steadily declining over the past few years, making it the right time for Okongwu to take over. Moreover, Jalen Johnson emerged as one of the league's most improved players last season, giving Young a dynamite partner in screening actions.
The Hawks may not be a shoo-in for the playoffs next season, but they have all the makings of a fun team that could be better than many people expect.
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