The San Antonio Spurs are trading All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
The Spurs will receive the Charlotte Hornets’ 2023 first-round pick from the Hawks in addition to Atlanta’s first-round picks in 2025 and 2027. The Spurs will also have the right to swap picks with the Hawks in 2026.
The Spurs made the deal days after selecting three players in the first round of the NBA draft: forward Jeremy Sochan from Baylor at No. 9; guard Malaki Branham from Ohio State at No. 20; and combo guard Blake Wesley out of Notre Dame with the 26th pick. Murray, 26, has played his entire career with the Spurs since San Antonio drafted him with the 29th pick in 2016.
A career defensive stopper who was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team in 2018, Murray has developed into a two-way threat in his five NBA seasons. He made his first All-Star team last season while averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and a league-best two steals per game. Murray has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $64 million contract.
The move portends a continued roster rebuild in San Antonio as five-time NBA champion head coach Gregg Popovich approaches the end of his career at 73 years old. The San Antonio Express-News’ Mike Finger reports that Popovich signed off on the trade and is on board with coaching a young roster next season.
Young reportedly ‘ecstatic’ about playing with Murray
The Hawks, meanwhile, now have one of the NBA’s most dynamic backcourts with Murray paired alongside All-Star sharpshooter Trae Young. Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reports that Young is “ecstatic” about playing with Murray and that the Hawks believe the pairing will unlock a new level of Young’s game. He responded to the trade on Twitter shortly after the news broke.
This 💩 just got real
Let’s get busy my Brotha😤@DejounteMurraypic.twitter.com/D9DBBvtGml
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) June 29, 2022
Young, 23, is coming off his second All-Star selection and first All-NBA honor as a member of the third team. He averaged 28.4 points, 9.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds last season while shooting 38.2% from 3-point distance.
It’s not yet clear who will handle primary ball-handling duties in Atlanta’s revamped backcourt. Murray will presumably be tasked with defending opposing teams’ best guards, freeing Young to exert more energy on offense. The trade means a likely sixth-man role for Kevin Huerter, who averaged 12.1 points while shooting 38.9% from 3-point distance as Atlanta’s starting shooting guard last season.
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