The Golden State Warriors still may make a tangential move or two at the 2024 NBA trade deadline. The notion of Golden State pushing its chips in for a major win-now deal in hopes of vaulting Stephen Curry and company toward realistic title contention this season, though, seems to be fading by the day.
Case in point: The Warriors' reported ‘tepid' interest in Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, the biggest name likely to be playing elsewhere beyond February 8th. In an article breaking down Golden State's status as the deadline fast approaches, The Athletic's Anthony Slater poured cold water on the idea of Murray finding his way to the Bay.
“Mike Dunleavy Jr. spent a chunk of time chatting with Atlanta general manager Landry Fields before a recent Hawks game. But any interest in Dejounte Murray, the No. 1 player on The Athletic’s trade deadline big board, is tepid at best, which won’t lead to movement,” according to Slater. “He’s another guard about to step into a four-year, $114 million deal. It’s a similar story with Chicago’s Zach LaVine.”
Why Dejounte Murray isn't great fit for Warriors
The idealized on-paper fit of Murray with the Warriors make sense. He's a former All-Defense honoree with the theoretical length to guard up to three positions, and has improved enough as a long-range shooter—just over 38% on both catch-and-shoot and pull-up triples this season, per NBA.com/stats—of late that he can't be ignored spotting up away from the ball. Golden State sorely needs another dynamic shot-creator, too, and Murray fits that bill as a multi-level scorer who also makes plays for teammates.
The problem with that optimistic appraisal of Murray joining the Dubs? He's just not nearly the defender he was a few years ago. Golden State's lack of secondary scoring punch and all-around rim pressure is an issue that must be addressed, but on-ball defense has been this team's most glaring weakness of late.
The Warriors routinely put Murray in pick-and-roll actions with in last week's blowout home win over the Hawks, leveraging Stephen Curry's threat as a screener. Atlanta opted against switching actions for the most part, and on multiple occasions provided barely any resistance as Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga got into the paint for scores and attacks. He's been a net negative off-ball defender in 2023-24, too, often late on assignments or missing them altogether.
Adding a neutral perimeter defender, at best, would be a boon for the Warriors if that guard provided game-changing added value on the other end of the floor. Murray just isn't quite there as a shooter nor playmaker, the type of high-usage ball handler better served filling a good team's gaping hole at point guard or helping an average one maintain respectability. Golden State needs it splashy trade deadline addition to lift the boats around him offensively, the type of additive influence Murray hasn't been able to provide with the Hawks.
Price is a factor here, too—in terms of both the package going back to the Hawks and Murray's contract going forward. Atlanta is reportedly seeking two first-round picks and a quality young player for Murray. That's just too steep an amount for Golden State to pay given its limited team-building assets going forward, even before accounting for Murray's four-year, $114 million extension kicking in next season. While that deal certainly won't be an abject overpay as the cap continues rising, Murray's questionable viability as Curry's new long-term partner in the backcourt surely makes management wary of putting his multi-year contract on the books.
Murray definitely wouldn't propel the Dubs to top-tier contention by himself. The Dubs don't want to pay what it would take to get him, and putting his locked-in money on the salary sheet next to Curry's, Draymond Green's and what Klay Thompson is set to earn in a paycut this summer would only decrease the front office's flexibility even further. Don't be surprised if buzz around Murray and the Warriors quells over the next few days. As much as Golden State needs a splash at the deadline, he's ill-equipped to provide the right one both now and going forward.
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