The Warriors are sinking, and everyone aside from Stephen Curry is on the table.
That’s what The Athletic’s Shams Charania recently stated on the Run It Back show. The news makes sense given Golden State’s shrinking window to take advantage of Curry’s play. This is a team in need of desperate change if it wants to make a run — the veterans haven’t been good enough.
Would Dejounte Murray be an answer? He’s one of the better players available in the trade market and the Hawks are reportedly shopping him.
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated on Threads, the Hawks are “open to ALMOST anything at the trade deadline, but there’s no question that they’ve gone as far as they’ll probably go on Dejounte Murray’s pairing with Trae Young in the backcourt. They’re talking Murray deals — and others — throughout the league.”
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater has added to the smoke, stating on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast that Murray is a potential trade target to monitor for the team.
What would a trade look like, and would it make sense for both teams? Here’s a framework for a good Murray-to-the-Warriors deal.
MORE: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson react to boos from Warriors’ home crowd
Why Warriors say yes and no: Dejounte Murray trade to the Warriors for Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga and picks
The trade
De’Andre Hunter and Dejounte Murray for Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga, 2028 first-round pick and 2028 second-round pick.
Why this trade
Paul is in this deal as an expiring salary and because the Warriors will have too much guard depth to play him.
The Warriors don’t have enough pick equity to make this worthwhile for the Hawks, so one of Moses Moody or Kuminga would have to be thrown in. Kuminga is easier to fit in due to his larger salary, and he would be a great fit next to Young. He’s publicly expressed his loss of faith in coach Steve Kerr, so maybe it’s time for a fresh start.
Because of how reasonable Murray’s contract is, the Hawks need to add another big-salary piece. There was some talk during the draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman and at last year’s trade deadline from Yahoo’s Jake Fischer that Hunter was on the trade block. He’s the natural addition.
Why Warriors say yes
The Warriors have been mediocre on both sides of the ball. Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney have all taken big steps back from their championship starting group of two seasons ago.
Murray gives them a big guard who can help protect Curry in defensive matchups, as Thompson used to back in his prime. Murray is not nearly as good of a defender as he was when he made the All-Defensive Second Team in 2018, but he is a ballhawk that could help push the team up from their putrid No. 26 ranking in turnovers forced.
Murray would also give the Warriors a badly needed second scorer. Thompson’s 17.1 points per game are a distant second on the team behind Curry’s 26.7, and he has had problems with shot selection all year. He is at the stage in his career where he might be better suited as a sixth man off the bench where he can gun against weaker second units.
Murray obviously isn’t the shooter Thompson was in his prime, but he’s quietly hit 39.4 percent of his 3s this season while averaging 21.1 points per game.
Murray is more of a pick-and-roll guard than the Warriors are used to, but he played in a motion-heavy system with an emphasis on split cuts back in his Spurs days, so he should be able to adapt to Kerr’s preferred play style. He is a good passer and rebounder, which are two areas that Golden State has struggled in. Most importantly, he’s one of the best guards available. The Warriors need an infusion of talent.
Murray is on a great contract going forward. He signed a bargain four-year extension worth up to $ 120 million that will still retain value if the Warriors decide to pivot directions in the coming years.
Why Warriors say no
Does this trade take the Warriors into championship contention? It certainly makes them better, but it also further restricts their flexibility in coming years, keeping them as a massive tax team. There are some very good teams in the West, and the Warriors would still be behind the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder, among potentially others.
Hunter has been a disappointment since signing his four-year, $ 95 million extension in the summer of 2022. The idea of him — a big wing who can defend and shoot 3s — is extremely valuable. To his credit, he has hit 40.4 percent of his 3s this season, but he has had trouble staying healthy, he hasn’t grown as a playmaker and his defensive impact isn’t as high as it should be.
Hunter’s value is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps the Warriors look more at his flaws than his strengths.
If Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. decide that Murray and Hunter aren’t enough to take them over the top, then maybe they let this thing end as gracefully as possible. That would mean retaining Kuminga for the next era of Warriors basketball rather than continuing to add long-term salary to the roster.
Would the Hawks even sign off on this?
The Hawks would probably like to get off Hunter’s contract, and the Murray-Young combination simply hasn’t worked out.
It would sting to lose so many assets on the Murray experiment. It was only the summer of 2022 when they traded three first-round picks and a pick swap to bring him to Atlanta. But that was an overpay at the time and this is about the best return that they could hope for today.
Kuminga would be an ideal prospect to pair alongside Young. The No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is still a bit raw in terms of feel but he’s a great play finisher. Young would set him up for the easiest baskets of his career. On the defensive end, Young needs bigger guys who can cover for his obvious deficiencies. Kuminga is a superb athlete who projects to one day be able to clean up mistakes for teammates.
Paul would give the Hawks a veteran who could help mentor the younger guys on their team and help them fight for a Play-In spot. He’s an expiring contract, giving them the flexibility to bring him back at a lower number or try to sign a free agent this summer. (Getting an expiring contract and removing Hunter and Murray’s deal would also have the benefit of creating significant cap space.)
The crown jewel of this deal would be the 2028 pick. Curry will be 39 years old by that point and potentially retired. The Warriors don’t have a future star-in-waiting, so there is a very real possibility that they will be a lottery team by then.
This gives the Hawks a chance to build a better team around Young and do it on the fly rather than going into a long period of losing. It’s a deal that helps both sides achieve a better outcome than what they’re currently headed towards.
