Many of us look for any excuse to delay the unpleasant and inevitable, whether it be something mundane like spring cleaning or  significant like a break-up. We live in our bubble until it abruptly bursts, leaving no other alternative but to face the task head-on. The Atlanta Hawks should not wait until the last possible moment to clean out their house.

Fans are ready for a fresh start. The organization has done plenty to try to get this franchise back on the trajectory of success that was foretold after a thrilling and unexpected run into the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. The Hawks promoted Landry Fields to general manager, traded a bundle to acquire another All-Star and brought in a new head coach in Quin Snyder to recapture that past magic.

And none of it has worked. Ownership must further contemplate two of those decisions in the coming offseason, but it is time to reverse course on the All-Star in question. Dejounte Murray should be dealt ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline.

Now, I am aware that this might be an awkward statement to make after the 27-year-old guard drained consecutive game-winners against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat last week to keep the team in the NBA Play-in Tournament picture. But those victories just put a bandage on a gaping wound that cannot be mended under this current blueprint.

Good news is fleeting for this squad these days, as is evidenced by its current three-game losing streak. The Hawks (18-26), however, cannot afford to live in denial any longer. The daunting task of initiating a roster reshuffling- you could even call it a rebuild- must begin now. And unfortunately, trading Dejounte Murray is an essential part of that process.

The Hawks can't just hope a turnaround is going to come

Hawks GM Landry Fields

The time for waiting is over. The necessary grace period has been extended. Atlanta is not keeping up with a formidable Eastern Conference. It is risky, nay irresponsible to expect that this franchise can close the gap as presently constructed, with rising stars and teams all around it.

Therefore, management needs to finally pull the trigger and initiate the sweeping changes that have been rampantly speculated for over a year now. With the deadline less than three weeks away, the most valuable trade piece the Hawks have at their disposal is undeniably Murray.

That is truer now than it was even a few days ago following the clutch guard's late-game heroics. Landry Fields must use that to his advantage in the many phone conversations he is going to have between now and Feb. 8. Underachieving teams with championship-level aspirations like the Los Angeles Lakers, or one that is reshaping its roster like the Toronto Raptors, could be desperate enough to send back a haul of draft picks (asking price rumored to be two first-rounders, per Marc Stein) and maybe even a promising player for Murray's services.

Rushing to ship out a two-way force who is under contract for possibly four-and-a-half more years (player option in 2027-28) is not typically viewed as a sound strategy for an organization that struggles to sign high-profile free agents. The skepticism is amplified when considering he hasn't even played two full seasons with the Hawks.

The sample size is large enough, however, to know that the Dejounte Murray-Trae Young experiment isn't working.

Hawks' backcourt can't hold both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young

They gave it a shot. In June of 2022, the front office pushed their chips in the middle and went all in for one of the more intriguing guards in the league at the time. Paring Murray with Young was a move designed to launch the Hawks into Eastern Conference contention for the foreseeable future.

A seemingly balanced backcourt with tantalizing promise was ready to compete with a defending champion Milwaukee Bucks team that came with injury concerns, a Boston Celtics squad that was also unproven and perennial chokers whom they already bested in the form of the Philadelphia 76ers. None of those franchises are currently in reach, as Atlanta continues to fall backwards on the totem pole.

It is a cliche that no fan really cares to hear, but the Hawks must re-discover their identity. While Murray has shined on a individual level, they are cratering. The team has ranked in the bottom five in points per game allowed the last two years, a frightening trend that portends a permanent residency in the Play-In Tournament, or worse, if something is not done.

Trading Dejounte Murray forges a path forward for team

This is not an attack on Dejounte Murray. Atlanta's failures are not directly tied to him. He is one of its top producers and someone who can clearly be trusted in a big spot. And that is why he has to be dealt by the NBA trade deadline. De'Andre Hunter, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic should all follow him out the door.

There is no contingency plan or pivot to make. The Hawks' only option is to retain a couple of their building blocks and remodel around them. It will be painful and maybe lengthy, but the future will be unpredictable. And that is not something that can be said with confidence right now.