As it turns out, Dejounte Murray isn’t going anywhere.
The Hawks and Murray are finalizing a four-year, $120 million extension, the veteran maximum, according to a person with the team familiar with the situation.
Murray has been part of trade rumors this offseason, fueling speculation that his time in Atlanta would be brief. Next season, with a salary of $17.7 million, would have been his last before he became an unrestricted free agent.
Now he will remain with the Hawks.
The Hawks gave up a lot to obtain Murray last year. In a trade with the Spurs, where Murray was an All-Star, the Hawks sent forward Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks -- which include their 2025 and 2027 firsts, as well as a pick swap in 2026.
Murray averaged 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 36.4 minutes per game last season.
The Hawks acquired Murray for a one-two backcourt punch with Trae Young. Murray was to give Young relief as a ballhandler and the team another scoring option should an opponent focus its attention on the point guard.
The Hawks struggled with consistency last season. They finished with a 41-41 record and made the play-in tournament. After defeating the Heat, who would go on to the NBA Finals, the Hawks lost to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
“When I left San Antonio, after the trade happened, the goal was to get to the playoffs,” Murray said in an interview following the season. “One thing I do is watch all the basketball until there is no more and then it leads to Summer League. I like studying the game, watching the game. My love of it. I was on my couch the last two, three years, watching the playoffs. My boys would always see how mad I was because I just got to be a part of it.”
It was tumultuous at times for the Hawks last season, with changes in both the front office and coaching staff, including the hire of Quin Snyder in February.
Last month, the Hawks traded John Collins, their longest tenured player, to the Jazz for Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick. The trade of Collins, who was owed $78 million over the next three seasons, gave the Hawks salary flexibility as they were over the salary-cap threshold.
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