Getty Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks attempts a shot against Dejounte Murray #5 and John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks.
The New York Knicks flirted with the idea of a Jalen Brunson–Dejounte Murray backcourt last summer. They could revisit that once again this offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus reported that Murray could be moved at the right price in the wake of the new punitive Collective Bargaining Agreement for luxury-tax teams.
“The Hawks are facing a more immediate problem under the new CBA, with a payroll projected to be $172 million and $16.4 million in luxury taxes (more if players hit various incentives). The team is believed to be looking for a home for John Collins, but some whispers abound that Dejounte Murray could be had in the right deal,” Pincus wrote.
“Murray is due $18.2 million this season but may not be open to an extension limited to a $25.4 million starting salary. Unless Atlanta can shed significant salary elsewhere, they may not be able to afford Murray at his current price, let alone on a new deal in his likely asking range above $30 million,” Pincus added.
Evan Fournier, who is due for an $18.8 million salary and has a $19 million team option that can be waived next summer, is the perfect salary match, along with a slice of the Knicks’ draft assets, in a hypothetical trade that could help the Hawks avoid the second apron of luxury tax in the new CBA and recoup some of the future picks they gave up for Murray.
However, there is no indication yet that the Knicks are still interested in Murray, who had his ups and downs meshing up with Trae Young at the Hawks’ backcourt. Still, he managed to put up 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals while improving his outside shot as he hit 34.4% on 5.2 3s attempts per game.
The Knicks were among the teams interested in trading for Murray last summer, according to multiple reports, before the San Antonio Spurs chose the Hawks’ package of three first-round picks (two unprotected), a pick swap and former Knick Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks could have topped that package with 11 first-round picks (seven unprotected) at their disposal.
Karl-Anthony Towns Could Be Moved in the Next Few Weeks
In the same Bleacher Report story, Pincus wrote that another Knicks trade target Karl-Anthony Towns could become available as early as this summer.
“Other competing executives think Karl-Anthony Towns will be long gone ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Some even believe Minnesota would jump at an opportunity in the next few weeks,” Pincus wrote.
Towns had been linked to the Knicks ever since Leon Rose, his former agent, became the Knicks’ president.
A three-time All-Star, Towns also played under current Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota.
Julius Randle’s Trade Value Isn’t High
Even if a quarter of the Knicks fan base is urging the team to sell high on Julius Randle following his second All-NBA season, which ended in another playoff flop, one general manager doesn’t see it happening.
“They are not in a position to trade Randle because there’s no way to get value for him,” the league exec told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “They have found a way to get him to be really productive with what they do.”
“But that does not really translate to a lot of other teams. So that is always going to work against them if they were to move him. But they have not had those conversations in a long time, and he has three years left on the contract (the third year is a player option). So it is something where he is not going anywhere for a while.”
Randle earned his second All-Star berth and a spot in the All-NBA Third Team after averaging a career-high 25.1 points, 10 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the regular season. But his performance dipped in the postseason, no thanks to an ankle injury, averaging only 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting a dismal 37.4% from the field and 25.8% from deep.