Getty Dejounte Murray being guarded by Ja Morant.
Dejounte Murray seems to be on the move as the Atlanta Hawks have made him available in trade talks. Murray, a former All-Star, hasn’t found much success with the Hawks. Not that Murray hasn’t played well, but the Hawks’ inability to do much as a team has the organization more than willing to move him in the right deal. The New York Knicks are a team that’s shown interest in Murray.
Marc J. Spears of Andscape spoke about the trade rumors, linking the Knicks as a team that’s interested in acquiring the point guard. The Knicks have been linked to Murray for the past few weeks after the team traded Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
“The Hawks have come to the realization that the pairing of Murray and two-time NBA All-Star Trae Young isn’t working, a league source told Andscape. The Hawks are in the exploratory phase of trading Murray, who is getting strong interest due to his play on both ends, great image and manageable contract. Murray has said he would “welcome” interest from his beloved Popovich and the Spurs in an NBA TV interview and there have been reports that the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors are intrigued, too.”
Dejounte Murray Understands He Might Be Traded
Murray’s response to potentially getting traded shows that he’s all about business. That’s a good sign for Knicks fans. He wants to continue giving it his all for his teammate but also realizes that it’s part of the business. This wouldn’t be the first time he gets traded and it’s likely to not be his last.
Murray said the following to Spears about the trade rumors:
“I tell several people who I stand for as a person. That is who Dejounte is. As a man or person, however you want to put it, it’s not appropriate for me to talk about that or let that get in the way for my teammates. I love my teammates. My teammates love me. I’m not a GM, owner, an agent, none of those things. I’m a basketball player. I’m a hooper. So, I continue to learn, lead and work hard.”
Staying focused seems to be a big part of what Murray is currently doing. He can’t control what decisions the front office makes and for now, he can only worry about winning with the Hawks.
“I know what the main goal is. The main goal is today. Today I’m an Atlanta Hawk and that’s all that matters. Help do my job and try to get a win. That’s the most important.”
Knicks Have Interest in Facilitators
The New York Knicks, even if they don’t land Dejounte Murray, have interest in facilitators. They’re reportedly going to do what they need to do to make this team better before the deadline and adding a facilitator helps them do exactly that.
Multiple names will be out there, but Murray has a chance to be the best available name. If he returns to how he played with the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks are getting one of the best players in basketball.