The Hawks announced Thursday that they acquired guard Dejounte Murray from the Spurs.
The Hawks dealt veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, as well as several first-round draft picks. The picks included the Hawks’ 2023 first-round pick as well as unprotected first-rounders in 2026 and 2027.
The Hawks made the decision to bring aboard the first-time All-Star to provide guard Trae Young with a reliable running mate who could score when defenses look to shut him down. Now the Hawks have an All-Star-caliber player who averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists in 68 games during the 2021-22 season.
The 6-foot-4 guard is a good finisher around the rim and has a good feel for the game that allows him to find the best spots to attack defenders. He also uses his speed not only to blow by defenders in open space but also to split defenders in traffic.
On top of that, Murray will provide the Hawks with a strong perimeter defender who led the NBA in steals per game (2.0 per game) this past season. He became the first player in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 2.0 steals in a single season, per the Hawks.
According to Elias Sports, Murray and Young will be the first pair of teammates in NBA history who each averaged at least 20.0 points and 9.0 assists per game in the previous season.
“The opportunity to acquire a player of Dejounte’s caliber, just entering his prime, doesn’t come along too often,” Hawks President of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk said in a statement. “He has developed into one of the elite two-way guards in the league and we’re thrilled to add him to our group. I’d also like to thank Gallo for his professionalism and his contributions to the Hawks over the last two seasons.”
In addition to Murray, the Hawks also received center Jock Landale. The 6-11 center went undrafted in 2018 and played three seasons internationally before signing with the Spurs in 2021. He averaged 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.9 minutes, while shooting 49.5% from the floor, 32.6% on 3-point shots.
The Melbourne, Australia, native played for the Hawks during the 2018 Summer League in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. In nine Summer League appearances with the Hawks, he made six starts and averaged 5.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 18.3 minutes.
The Hawks have not decided whether they will keep Landale on the roster or waive him as free agency heats up Thursday evening.
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