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With four championships in 10 seasons with Stephen Curry at the helm, the Golden State Warriors are looking to retool this summer and make a run for a fifth in 2024-2025.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report argues a trade for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray in a June 25 column.
Atlanta receives: Andrew Wiggins, 2026 second-round pick (via ATL), 2028 first-round pick
Golden State receives: Murray
Murray is coming off of his seventh NBA season, and second with the Hawks. He appeared in 78 regular-season games, averaging 22.5 points, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.
Atlanta aiming to break up their starting backcourt of Murray and Trae Young has long been reported. And the Warriors have few means of making significant change to the roster outside of Wiggins’ salary.
Murray Brings Defense to Backcourt
One of the more appealing factors to dealing for Murray is the defensive upside.
“Meanwhile, Golden State onboards a player in Murray who could offset the possible departures of both Klay Thompson and Chris Paul,” Hughes wrote on June 25. “While shielding Stephen Curry from the toughest defensive matchups.”
Murray was brought to the Hawks for the same reason. But the two Atlanta guards never meshed in their two seasons together.
According to Cleaning the Glass, in 2,525 possessions with their starting backcourt on the floor, the Hawks were outscored by 6.3 points per 100 possessions, and allowed 123 points per 100 possessions.
With just Murray on the floor, the team outscored opponents by 0.8 points per 100, and they allowed 118.3 points per.
And with only Young on the floor, the team allowed 119.1 points per, while outscoring opponents by 3.1 points.
In short, Murray is an above average defender who couldn’t overcome Young’s weaknesses on that side of the ball. Playing next to Curry, a defensive magnet, will help him to refine his scoring and perform better on defense.
Murray is Free Agency Insurance
Murray, as Hughes notes, also erases any concerns over the potential losses of Chris Paul and Klay Thompson in free agency.
Paul isn’t a free agent though. The 12-time All-Star has a $30-million salary that becomes guaranteed on June 28.
Marc Stein reports that Golden State’s front office is trying to find a trade for Paul ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.
“The Warriors, league sources say, have continued to explore their trade options with Paul’s trade-friendly contract in conjunction with Wednesday’s draft,” Stein wrote in a June 24 newsletter. “As well as the prospect of pushing the Friday deadline into July if Paul is amenable to that amendment.”
Paul averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 58 appearances with the Warriors.
Thompson’s case is less one-dimensional. The 12-year veteran, and Curry’s only-ever backcourt partner, is an unrestricted free agent.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that Thompson’s negotiations with the Warriors are non-existent.
“Despite a wide open negotiation window, there isn’t a one-year, two-year or three-year deal on the table,” Slater wrote on June 22. “Because nothing is currently on the table, according to league sources. There’s been no productive discussion between the Warriors and Thompson or his representatives.”
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. clarified the team’s stance on Thompson’s free agency in a June 24 press conference. “We want him back,” Dunleavy told reporters.
Thompson is looking for an inarguably earned payday for a team with whom he’s won four championships. But if they’re to give themselves a chance to win a fifth, they can’t pay him what he wants.
A trade for Murray wipes out the concern of Paul and Thompson’s future. But it doesn’t negate the need to maximize their exits.
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