The Atlanta Hawks have a potential All-Star backcourt duo now, but was the price of the acquisition worth it?

Remember that the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 after a change of head coaches and a second-half surge. That raised hopes for an even stronger showing the following season.

Early in the 2021-2022 season, however, the Hawks had trouble living up to such expectations. The Hawks went 17-25 in their first 42 games last season before yet another late surge where they won 26 of their last 40 games. They beat both the Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Play-in Tournament. Afterward, they lost to the Miami Heat in five games during the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

That prompted Atlanta's front office to make offseason moves that can raise the team's ceiling as they try to return to the Eastern Conference's elite.

That mentality led to one of the biggest trades in the offseason. Just a year after a surprising run to the conference finals that catapulted them into young contender status, the Hawks traded for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. On paper, the former San Antonio Spur should be a terrific complement to lead guard Trae Young, but was it worth mortgaging the team's future?

Remember that last season, the Hawks were missing a big, defensive guard and a secondary playmaker to Young. They got both with Murray, albeit at a very steep cost.

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Hawks' worst move of 2022 NBA offseason

Mortgaging their future

The Spurs sent their All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Eastern Conference in exchange for the Hawks sending back Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks, and a pick swap in 2026.

Did the Hawks really have to give up that much to get another All-Star player around franchise cornerstone Trae Young?

We'll have to see how this coming season plays out. Right off the bat, however, there are potentially big risks for the Hawks.

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Keep in mind that the Hawks sent a 2023 first-round pick via Charlotte, and their own 2025 and 2027 first round picks to the Spurs in the deal. The latter two are reportedly unprotected picks.

Now, the Hawks should be a playoff team for the next few seasons with the acquisition of Murray. That means that their two first-rounders don't figure to be high picks at all. The same could be said for the pick coming from the Hornets, who will likely flirt with the Play-In Tournament. This means that their own 2023 first round pick might also be mid-to-late in the draft next year.

Still, that's three years' worth of picks for a player who may or may not be an All-Star again. Murray is very productive, of course. What are the chances, though, that he retains all of his high-level production in the long-term alongside a ball-dominant Young?

Remember that Murray and Young will be the first pair of teammates in NBA history who each averaged 20 points and eight assists per game in the previous season. The Hawks' backcourt next season will surely be a problem for opposing defenses to handle. On the other hand, this also begs the question of which one will give way to the other?

Last year, Young averaged around 28 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds per game while shooting career-high percentages from the field and beyond the arc. Murray, for his part, averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals last season. He also set the new single-season record for the Spurs with 13 triple-doubles. Between Young and Murray, the Hawks have three All-Star selections.

It all sounds pretty exciting, but objectively speaking, three first round picks are a steep price for a team that’s not exactly a contender right away. It's also noteworthy that Murray’s contract will also end at an interesting time. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024. That means the Hawks have a two-season window to enjoy this tandem before potentially losing Murray in free agency.

In that context, this seems like a really big risk for the Hawks. A team doesn't just trade three first-rounders for someone they don’t want long-term.

Looking ahead down the line, will the Hawks be willing to pay all of Young, Murray, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, and Onyeka Okongwu? That will be a very challenging situation for GM Landry Fields.