NBA trade season has arrived in full force and the latest deal has just been revealed by NBA insider Shans Charania. The trade sends Hawks guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, and two future first-round draft picks.
“Pelicans are moving Larry Nance Jr. and two first-round picks to the Hawks for Dejounte Murray,” wrote Charania on X. “New Orleans is sending Dyson Daniels to Atlanta as well, sources said.”
Murray has been involved in endless trade rumors for months now and many saw it as only a matter of time before he was traded from the Hawks. Today that prophecy was finally fulfilled and it’s a signal that the Hawks are moving into a new chapter of their existence.
With Murray gone and replaced with two high-quality role-players, the Hawks are obviously still looking to compete but they felt that it was impossible to make progress with Dejounte Murray and Trae Young sharing a backcourt. Now, they can proceed with Young and the No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher out of France.
Besides mixing up the guard rotation, the Hawks added some depth with Larry Nance and Dyson Daniels, who can hold their own on both ends of the floor. They also add to their pool of draft assets with two first-round picks (2025 and 2027).
For the Pelicans, this trade could be seen as another step toward contention. Since drafting Zion Williamson in 2019, the team has been desperately trying to build a contender by adding veterans like Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to the roster.
With Murray, the Pelicans finally get a designated ball-handler who can run the offense and create some shots for himself. The 27-year-old averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game on 45.9% shooting for the Hawks this past season.
If Murray can re-discover his defensive edge and embrace a heightened role on the Pelicans, he could be the key that unlocks the best version of their team. But after this trade, the Pelicans really need a strong season and they need to see progress after multiple years of building up this roster.