The Atlanta Hawks landed the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft despite having just a 3% chance to do so, giving the franchise tremendous flexibility going into a pivotal offseason. The Hawks have been in a bit of a tailspin since making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. Atlanta was eliminated in the first round in both 2022 and 2023 before being bounced during the play-in round in 2024.
It can be easy for a team to gain a sense of overconfidence after a deep playoff run, and it appears the Hawks had that went they tried to build the roster around Trae Young. They appeared to go “all-in” by dealing multiple first-round picks for Dejounte Murray, who would appear to be the ideal backcourt mate for Young. Signing head coach Quin Snyder, who built a regular playoff contender in Utah, appeared to be a savvy move for a team in a rut. Unfortunately, neither attempt has really been successful in a true sense.
Should the Hawks trade Young or Murray?
The Hawks remain an inconsistent team and struggle defensively. They had some surprising wins late in the season over the Celtics and also got a victory over the Clippers, but had losses to the Trail Blazers, Jazz and Hornets. Atlanta had maddening stretches for the entire year. It had an eight-game stretch with six wins, including triumphs over the Suns, Lakers, Warriors and 76ers. It promptly lost three in a row after that to the Bulls, Hornets and Raptors. The Hawks also had two losses in a row against the Nets that could’ve cost them the final play-in tournament spot.
There’s been plenty of speculation the Hawks will eventually break up the Young-Murray backcourt, but the question is who they should deal. Both are under contract, and Young has a trade kicker in his contract. Murray has shown defensive potential early in his career but that appears to have been a bit of a mirage after the last two seasons. According to basketball-reference.com, the Hawks were -0.4 points per 100 possessions worse with Young on the floor and -3.1 points per 100 possessions with Murray on the floor this year. However, Murray did play more games than Young. The duo hasn’t been particularly good together. According to NBA.com, Young and Murray played 1,172 minutes together and were a -169 in that time. The rest of Atlanta’s roster doesn’t offer the front office much room to maneuver either. Atlanta has five players signed through the 2026-27 season, with Jalen Johnson likely to be extended after his strong 2023-24 campaign.
However, landing the No. 1 pick changes everything. Although there’s no clear-cut No. 1 prospect in this class, there’s plenty of solid players across the top of the draft. Could the Hawks trade out of the top spot and grab a few more picks, perhaps from the Spurs or Rockets? Could they go the opposite route and add more draft picks by sending Young and Murray out?
There’s no shortage of opportunities for the latter scenario. The 76ers will likely be making a move to further bolster the roster around Joel Embiid, with Atlanta’s guards looking like prime targets. The Lakers and Bucks were in the market for Murray, although the Hawks never really had any traction there. The Knicks might be interested in Young, but there will be questions about what New York can send back.
General manager Landry Fields could also keep all three assets and take a player in the June draft at No. 1, with Alex Sarr being the likely selection. Sarr is a versatile defender who could immediate improve Atlanta on that side of the ball while slowly adding to his offensive game. Snyder built a great defensive team over the years in Utah, and it’s possible continuity eventually does provide some benefits there for Atlanta. Sarr would be the natural pick if the Hawks are keeping Young and Murray.
Putting two players in their mid to late 20s on the trade block can be dangerous, but this pairing hasn’t done enough together to suggest it will suddenly find that magic formula to make a deep playoff run. The Eastern Conference hierarchy isn’t as daunting as the West, but the Celtics and Bucks aren’t going anywhere. The Heat, Knicks and 76ers will all be contending. The Magic and Pacers made leaps with young cores this year. If Atlanta can’t even make a minor dent with Young and Murray, adding an impact player at No. 1 to that pairing won’t help.
Verdict
Dealing Murray seems like the most logical solution. He’s older than Young but appears to have a bigger trade market and teams might overlook his defensive decline in Atlanta. The Hawks had more success with Young operating as the lead guard on his own. Adding more secondary players around him might be the path forward.