Atlanta Hawks Make First Blockbuster Trade of NBA Offseason

By Brian Jones

The Atlanta Hawks have made a big trade to kick off the NBA offseason. On Thursday, it was announced that the Hawks have made a trade with the San Antonio Spurs and acquired All-Star guard Dejounte Murray and center Jock Landale. In exchange for Murray and Landale, the Spurs get forward Danilo Gallinari,  a conditional 2023 first-round pick (from Charlotte via New York), Atlanta's 2025 and 2027 first-round picks and a 2026 first-round pick swap. This was first reported by Andrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Wednesday. 

"The opportunity to acquire a player of Dejounte's caliber, just entering his prime, doesn't come along too often," Hawks President of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk said in a statement. "He has developed into one of the elite two-way guards in the league and we're thrilled to add him to our group. I'd also like to thank Gallo for his professionalism and his contributions to the Hawks over the last two seasons."  

The Hawks were looking for a player to complement superstar guard Trae Young. Last year, Murray played in 68 games and averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and two steals per game. He led the NBA in steals and was fourth in assists. According to Elias Sports, Murray and Young will be the first pair of teammates in NBA history who averaged at least 20 points and nine assists per game in the previous season. 

On Wednesday night, Murray reacted to being traded to the Hawks. "SAN ANTONIO I LOVE YOU FOREVER," Murray wrote on Twitter. Thank You [Spurs] And The Whole City For Believing In Me And Embracing Me From DAY ONE. I Want To Write A Whole Book But It's Not Easy. We Are Family And Its Always Going To Be Bigger Than Basketball!!!"

Young, a two-time NBA All-Star, finished the 2021-22 season averaging 28.4 points, and 9.7 assists per game. He was a big reason the Hawks made the playoffs, but the team lost in the first round to the Miami Heat. Hawks owner Tony Ressler said in May that the team needed to get better to be a championship contender. 

"I think if you asked our front office, they would say that we thought based on last season's visit to the Eastern Conference finals that we could bring back predominantly the same team and get better and expect it to be better," Ressler said. "I don't think that worked out the way we thought. So yes, I think we should have tried to get better rather than bring back what we had. That won't happen again, by the way. It was a mistake, in my opinion."

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