The Dejounte Murray sweepstakes officially ended Saturday morning (Manila time). The Atlanta Hawks have shipped their two-way guard to the New Orleans Pelicans for veteran forward Larry Nance Jr., second-year guard Dyson Daniels, and first-round picks in 2025 and 2027.

It was a trade saga that has gone on since last off-season, drawing interest from multiple teams. Aside from the Pelicans, the New York Knicks and Miami Heat also had some inquiries, but the Los Angeles Lakers were the most notable, as they were asked to cough up a combination of Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and up to three first-rounders – some rumors even included Rui Hachimura.

As such, the Hawks seem to have just settled on a deal they didn’t particularly like, and would now perhaps hope on hitting homeruns in the draft and free agency. 

In any case, the trade also effectively ended the disappointing backcourt experiment of Trae Young and Murray, who were supposed to be an exciting tandem of elite-level offense and defense, respectively. Instead, the Hawks went 41-41 and 36-46 in their two seasons together, topped with one fired head coach (Nate McMillian) and a subpar playoff appearance.

The duo also finished with an appalling -3.34 net rating in 2,981 minutes together, quite evidently signaling just how bad of a fit their time with each other has been. There was also a significant difference in their individual rating as Young was at +2.62 while Murray was -0.60.

Further, there was also a collection of insane and out-of-the-blue career performances this season, ranging from stars to bench warmers. Here are some:

• (1/26/24) Luka Doncic 73 points
• (2/3/24) Steph Curry 60 Points
• (4/3/24) Malachai Flynn 50 points
• (11/14/23) Marvin Bagley III 22 points, 11 rebounds 
• (12/11/23) Julian Strawther 22 points (rookie)
• (11/22/23) Mikal Bridges 45 points
• (12/18/23) Cade Cunningham 43 points
• (3/13/24) Dominic “Dominayton” Ayton 33 points, 19 rebounds
• (4/12/24) Rudy Gobert 25 points (10/10 FG)
• (12/26/23) Andre Drummond 24 points, 25 rebounds
• (11/30/23) Jeremy Sochan 33 points (12/14 FG)
• (12/20/23) Jabari Smith Jr. 34 points

What’s next for the Hawks and Pelicans?

There’s contrasting paths between the two. The Pels just bolstered their team–regardless if Brandon Ingram walks–as Murray’s two-way style will be an interesting addition alongside Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Jonas Valanciunas.

The Hawks, meanwhile, are a big question mark, and it’s hard to gauge what the plan is. They still have pieces they can move around, which includes the entire rotation, Young not excluded, as he has been linked to the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, among others.

Atlanta could also be banking on the talent of the young piece they got, Daniels, and 2024 NBA Draft first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, an athletic ‘3 and D’ guy that can grow into a fine wing. Our very own Aldo Manzano gave his analysis on the top pick here.

The extra first-round pick in the supposedly loaded 2025 class is also encouraging – or maybe they’ll package it for more picks, possibly trade it for a new established name alongside Trae? There are a ton of options for now, and we should see a more clearer vision in the days and weeks to come.