The Atlanta Hawks are running out of time to save their season, with their 19-27 record and 10th-place standing in the East making a fire sale increasingly more likely. The organization knows its options are limited, and fans must come to that unpleasant realization as well. That is not an ideal situation for Quin Snyder, however.
It is difficult to predict where the head coach would fit in a rebuild. He was hired to revive the underachieving group, but things are getting worse. Snyder will not be able to stop the front office from making moves, but he is reportedly fighting hard to convince management to keep one potential trade piece in particular.
“Another interesting wrinkle to emerge on the {Dejounte} Murray front,” NBA correspondent Marc Stein reported in his Substack. “League sources say Coach Quin Snyder has lobbied the Hawks to keep him.”
Hawks face crucial Dejounte Murray decision
Murray is the most valuable asset Atlanta is open to dealing at this time and one of the expected faces of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. The Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers previously engaged in talks about a possible deal, but momentum has stalled. Although his contract is due to spike in a couple years, the 2022 All-Star guard is under contract through at least the 2026-27 season (has a $31.5 million player option after that) and should thereby be attractive to a few teams.
But can he still be part of the solution? Dejounte Murray is averaging a career-high in points (21.4) and shooting percentage (46.9) along with 5.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Snyder clearly thinks the 27-year-old is needed to prevent the team from fully imploding.
It has been 18 months since the Hawks traded for Murray, though, and the stagnation is only persisting. There might be no amount of protesting that can spare him from being dealt before the trade deadline.
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