Dejounte Murray Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trade Rumors: Bucks, Murray, Nets, Sixers, Brown, Heat, More

January 19th, 2024 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are among the teams registering interest in trading for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). Haynes’ report doesn’t include any details beyond that, so it’s unclear what sort of package a Bucks team short on trade assets might be willing to offer for Murray.

It’s safe to assume Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard aren’t going anywhere, which means a Milwaukee offer would need to be built around either Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, or, more likely, a Bobby Portis/Pat Connaughton combo. No other players on the roster earn enough to viably match Murray’s $18MM+ salary (a package that includes only one of Portis or Connaughton could technically work, but would need to be at least a four-for-one or five-for one deal).

Middleton, Lopez, Portis, and Connaughton have all played significant roles in Milwaukee for the last few seasons. Middleton and Lopez, in particular, have been mainstays in the Bucks’ starting lineup for many years, while Portis and Connaughton have been among the team’s first players off the bench. All four were major contributors to the championship team in 2021.

Still, as the Bucks showed when they included Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen in their package for Lillard in September, they’re willing to send out key rotation players in a trade if they believe the deal raises their ceiling. And with no first-round picks and only two second-rounders left to deal, the Bucks would need to send out a quality player or two to be a contender in the Murray sweepstakes.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Responding to colleagues Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon, who argued on The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that the Nets should be sellers at the trade deadline, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested that’s not necessarily the way the team is leaning. “I can’t speak to what the Nets are thinking right this very second, but the word through the NBA is the Nets are attempting to be buyers,” Windhorst said. Brooklyn doesn’t control its own 2024 first-round pick, which will be sent to Houston.
Despite some speculation that he could be a trade deadline target, the Sixers are unlikely to pursue Raptors guard Bruce Brown, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Appearing on the Locked on Heat podcast (Twitter video link), Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports suggested that the Heat aren’t explicitly shopping Kyle Lowry and Nikola Jovic, but they’re among the players on the roster who are considered by potential trade partners to be available.
Within his latest Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe shares a couple of notable trade-related tidbits. According to Lowe, before trading for Pascal Siakam, the Pacers were one of several teams to reach out to the Jazz about Lauri Markkanen, but Utah showed zero interest in moving him. Additionally, Lowe says that the Spurs reached out to the Hawks to explore the possibility of a reversal of sorts to their 2022 Dejounte Murray deal, but those talks don’t appear to have gotten far.

Lakers Rumors: Murray, D-Lo, Hood-Schifino, Reaves, More

January 19th, 2024 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The buzz connecting Hawks guard Dejounte Murray to the Lakers has increased to “noisy levels” as of late, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who hears that the two teams have discussed possible frameworks for a trade.

One concept the Lakers and Hawks talked about late last week would’ve included guard D’Angelo Russell, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick, and additional draft compensation, multiple team and league sources tell Buha.

Los Angeles can only currently trade one future first-rounder (either the 2029 or 2030 pick), so any additional draft assets would’ve been second-rounders. Plus, as Michael Scotto reported on Thursday, Atlanta has little interest in Russell, so he may need to be rerouted to a third team.

Talks between Los Angeles and Atlanta have since stalled, but the two clubs are expected to revisit those negotiations prior to the February 8 trade deadline, says Buha.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Unless an unexpected opportunity arises, the Lakers are expected to take at least a couple more weeks to evaluate their trade assets and options before pulling the trigger on any deal, according to Buha. As Buha explains, the team would like to address various needs – including three-point shooting, speed, and athleticism – but is still weighing whether it makes more sense to make a smaller move or to do something bigger that would more significantly reshape the rotation.
No Lakers players besides Anthony Davis and LeBron James are untouchable, but Jarred Vanderbilt is ineligible to be dealt this season and Austin Reaves is “close” to being off the table, says Buha. Team and league sources tell The Athletic that L.A. values Reaves highly and has no interest in moving him, even though almost every trade discussion starts with a prospective trade partner asking for Reaves and a first-round pick. If the Lakers were to part with Reaves, they’d want the deal to net them a clear All-Star (ie. someone a tier above Murray or Zach LaVine) or multiple rotation upgrades, Buha adds.
Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent are generally considered to have neutral-to-negative trade value, per Buha. Second-year guard Max Christie is viewed by some teams as an underrated three-and-D prospect, but the Lakers would prefer to keep him, Buha notes.
The Lakers, who had interest in Bruce Brown during the offseason, would still be interested in Brown if the Raptors make him available, Buha reports. Other potential targets the Lakers have discussed in recent weeks include Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, Hornets guard Terry Rozier, Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr., and Nets forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, says Buha.

Southeast Notes: Gafford, Bagley, Murray, Wagner, Okeke

January 19th, 2024 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards starting center Daniel Gafford entered the NBA’s concussion protocol this week following a head-on-head collision with Isaiah Stewart on Monday and was unavailable for Thursday’s contest vs. New York, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Having traded Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari to Detroit, the Wizards had limited options up front with Gafford out. As Alex Schiffer of The Washington Post observes, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. could have opted to go small by starting Bilal Coulibaly or Patrick Baldwin, who had played well as of late, writes Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.

Instead, newly acquired big man Marvin Bagley III was immediately thrust into the starting lineup at the five and played a team-high 39 minutes in a competitive loss to the Knicks. Bagley impressed in his Wizards debut, racking up 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. He was also a plus-two in a game that Washington lost by four points.

“That’s a heck of a start for him,” Unseld said, per Schiffer. “Played a well-balanced game, offense and defensively. Even things that happened on the fly I thought the group in general helped talk him through situations to keep him organized. That’s growth for us.”

The other player the Wizards acquired from the Pistons, Isaiah Livers, didn’t see the court in his first game with his new team. Livers will have to work his way into the rotation, according to Unseld, who said he expects opportunities to come for the third-year wing.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Within a look at the team’s potential approach to the trade deadline, Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks to an NBA scout who says the Hawks will likely have to accept the idea of getting less for Dejounte Murray than what they gave up for him in 2022. “The Trae (Young) and Dejounte backcourt has not worked,” the scout said. “And I don’t think they’re going to get what they gave up for him, which puts them in a tough spot. They have to swallow their pride a little bit and take a loss, I think, to move forward.”
Zach Kram of The Ringer takes a closer look at Murray’s trade value, noting that various defensive metrics all suggest that the Hawks guard has taken a noticeable step back on that end of the court within the past year or two.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said he expects forward Franz Wagner (right ankle sprain) to be back “sooner than later,” adding that Wagner should resume full-contact work “pretty soon” (Twitter links via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel). Wagner will miss his eighth consecutive game on Friday vs. Philadelphia.
Fourth-year Magic forward Chuma Okeke has been out of the rotation for much of the season, but he has started the past seven games with Wagner and wing Gary Harris sidelined. As Beede writes for The Orlando Sentinel, Okeke has earned praise from his teammates for how he’s adjusted to the increase in his playing time and especially for his performance on defense. “It’s not easy going from not playing to playing and then guarding most of the better players on the court, especially one-on-one,” Caleb Houstan said.

Stein’s Latest: Raptors, Siakam Trade, Brown, Knicks Targets, More

January 18th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Raptors don’t regret not moving Fred VanVleet last trade deadline before he departed that summer in free agency, Marc Stein details in his latest Substack post. Raptors president Masai Ujiri conveyed a similar sentiment earlier on Thursday. As Stein writes, the offers for VanVleet were lackluster and Toronto brass preferred to give the core of Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and VanVleet one more shot at it, adding Jakob Poeltl to the equation.

Stein suggests that the Raptors could have traded VanVleet to the Clippers last year in exchange for Luke Kennard and modest draft capital, but instead opted to run it back with their team. However, VanVleet leaving Toronto in the offseason for Houston had an impact on their willingness to trade Siakam and Anunoby this season, according to Stein.

Though there’s an outside perception the Raptors could have gotten more for Siakam had they traded him earlier, Toronto is pleased with the package it received from the Pacers, according to Stein. As Stein explains, the Hawks offered De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin and a first-round pick over the summer, but the Raptors feel Indiana’s offer was better, even without Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, Andrew Nembhard or Jalen Smith, all of whom Toronto coveted. I recommend checking out the article in full if you are subscribed to Stein’s Substack page.

There are more notes from Marc Stein:

There’s a growing belief leaguewide that the Raptors will move recently acquired Bruce Brown in another trade. The Knicks have Evan Fournier‘s $18.9MM salary to help match Brown’s $22MM, Stein observes. An earlier report Thursday indicated Quentin Grimes ($2.4MM in 2023/24) was on the trade block, so perhaps the Knicks kick the tires on packaging Fournier and Grimes together for Brown. We wrote more on New York’s interest in Brown here. The Nuggets would undoubtedly be interested in Brown after he helped lift the franchise to their first NBA title in 2022/23, but they lack feasible ways of acquiring him, Stein adds.
Stein expresses skepticism that Brown is the type of scoring guard New York wants to bring in after moving away from Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks have “a level of interest” in Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Detroit’s Alec Burks and Portland’s Malcolm Brogdon, he adds.
Rival teams hold the belief that Siakam is a “lock” to re-sign with the Pacers after his current contract expires this summer, Stein writes. The Pacers can only offer Siakam a two-year, $81.5MM extension during the season, but they acquired his Bird rights in the trade, which was a motivating factor in getting him now. Acquiring Siakam’s Bird rights allows the Pacers to go over the salary cap to keep him giving them increased flexibility this summer.
After Siakam was traded, attention on the trade market turned to the Hawks‘ Dejounte Murray, according to Stein, who says the going price for Murray starts at two first-round picks. We took a look earlier today at Murray’s market.

Latest On Dejounte Murray

January 18th, 2024 at 4:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray has reportedly drawn plenty of trade interest this season, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski previously stated he believes there’s a very good chance the former All-Star will be moved prior to the February 8 deadline.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype evaluates the teams that have been linked to Murray and offers new intel on the 27-year-old’s market. For example, league sources tell Scotto that in a potential Murray deal, in addition to acquiring draft and player assets, Atlanta does not want to take on salary beyond the 2023/24 season.

A Lakers deal for Murray would likely include D’Angelo Russell, according to Scotto’s sources, but the Hawks aren’t interested in Russell — they’d have to be able to flip him to a third team in that scenario. As Scotto explains, Russell has a $18.9MM player option for 2024/25 and isn’t viewed as a viable fit alongside another offense-first guard in Trae Young.

The Hawks did inquire about Austin Reaves in talks with L.A., but Scotto confirms the Lakers shot down that idea. Reaves is in the first season of a four-year contract — it’s unclear if Atlanta would want to keep the 25-year-old guard or potentially flip him as well.

As first reported by Scotto, the Knicks have looked into Murray. However, due to their strong play of late after acquiring OG Anunoby, Scotto hears New York doesn’t want to meet Atlanta’s asking price. The Nets also haven’t been inclined to offer a minimum of two first-round picks for Murray, per Scotto.

For various reasons, the Sixers, Pistons and Heat — three other teams linked to Murray — aren’t viewed as great fits, Scotto writes. It’s unclear what the Spurs are thinking this early in their rebuild, but Murray did say on Monday that he would welcome the opportunity to play for his former team and coach.

Trade Rumors: Grant, Murray, Dinwiddie, B. Brown, Grimes, Lakers

January 18th, 2024 at 9:18am CST by Arthur Hill

As a veteran on a rebuilding team, Jerami Grant seems like an obvious candidate to be moved before the trade deadline, but neither he nor the Trail Blazers are eager for a separation, writes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.

In the wake of Wednesday’s Pascal Siakam trade, teams that missed out on Siakam may now turn their attention to Grant, a 29-year-old forward with similar offensive skills. But after Wednesday’s win over Brooklyn, Grant told Highkin that he’s happy where he is after signing a five-year, $160MM contract last summer.

“You definitely see it,” Grant said of trade rumors. “But it’s not anything in my control. I’m cool here. I’m good with what I’m doing. Keep my head down and keep working, keep trying to help the young guys as much as I can. But it’s definitely something you see. It’s not something you can do anything about, especially since I just signed a deal. I’m here for as long as they want me.”

Rather than fully committing to a youth movement, Blazers management wants to keep some veterans around to guide the young talent, Highkin adds. He states that general manager Joe Cronin doesn’t want a situation similar to the one in Detroit, where a lack of that type of leadership has contributed to a 4-37 record. Cronin would prefer to emulate Houston, which added four veterans in free agency last summer and is contending for a play-in spot.

There are more trade rumors to pass along:

The Nets, who need to find a point guard that can score, appear to have interest in the Hawks‘ Dejounte Murray, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who adds that Brooklyn and Atlanta discussed a deal involving Murray and Spencer Dinwiddie earlier this season. Dinwiddie is viewed as the most likely Brooklyn player to be moved, and sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post that several teams called about him last season.
The Knicks would have interest in Bruce Brown if the Raptors decide to move him after acquiring him yesterday in the Siakam deal, Begley states (video link). New York pursued Brown in free agency before being outbid by Indiana, and Begley notes that he would replace some of the play-making and perimeter defense the Knicks lost when they traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley last month.
The Knicks are also looking to trade Quentin Grimes, who has been frustrated by limited playing time all season, sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required).
During a SportsCenter appearance (video link), ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said a Lakers trade involving Bulls guard Zach LaVine is “not happening.” He adds that L.A. is seeking point guard help and identifies Tyus Jones from the Wizards and Collin Sexton from the Jazz as possible targets.

Trade Rumors: Warriors, Gafford, Nets, Heat, Murray, Pelicans

January 17th, 2024 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

In a wide-ranging look at the in-season trade market, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines the trade rumors surrounding Pascal Siakam, Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, Kyle Kuzma, and several other players and teams around the NBA.

Among Pincus’ most interesting tidbits? He hears that the Warriors are very high on rookie Brandin Podziemski and aren’t expected to move him, with one source advising that it’s safe to leave the guard out of “fake trades.”

Pincus also notes that while the Wizards have several intriguing trade candidates, including veteran guards Tyus Jones and Delon Wright, they’ve set a “greedy” asking price for center Daniel Gafford, who is on a multiyear contract. As Pincus explains, that’s not meant to be a shot at Washington — it’s simply a reflection of the fact that the team would need a significant return to part with its starting center, who is under team control through 2025/26.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes from across the league:

Brian Lewis of The New York Post believes there’s a good chance that at least one, if not two, of the Nets‘ three oldest players – Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Royce O’Neale – will be on the move ahead of the February 8 trade deadline. However, echoing a recent Adrian Wojnarowski report, Lewis stresses that there are no plans to deal forward Mikal Bridges, who remains a crucial part of the team’s core.
After a report last week suggested that the Heat could be a suitor for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald digs into how plausible a trade between the two teams might be. According to Jackson, one person in contact with Miami’s front office expressed skepticism about the odds of the Heat aggressively pursuing Murray, but that source doesn’t know for sure what the team will do.
Christian Clark of NOLA.com expects the Pelicans to explore the trade market in the hopes of adding a defensive-minded center capable of playing with the starters. As Clark explains, that would make the team more comfortable starting more offensively inclined players at other positions.

Stein’s Latest: Rockets, Barnes, O’Neale, Hunter, Bogdanovic, Jazz, Murray

January 16th, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets are pursuing frontcourt options to give Most Improved Player Award candidate Alperen Şengün some help, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack post. They’re danging Victor Oladipo‘s expiring $9.5MM deal and Jock Landale‘s contract, which isn’t guaranteed beyond this season, as enticements. Houston is also seeking another shooter and has shown interest in the Kings’ Harrison Barnes, according to Stein.

Here are more tidbits from Stein’s story:

Barnes could be on the move, despite signing a three-year, $54MM extension last offseason. However, the Kings would prefer to get an impact player using Barnes as part of the package. They’ve had discussions with the Raptors regarding a potential Pascal Siakam deal. The Kings have also made Kevin Huerter and Davion Mitchell available but have no interest in dealing second-year forward Keegan Murray.
Stein suggested a couple of days ago that the Cavaliers might pursue Royce O’Neale to fill their 3-and-D need. He now hears that the Nets forward is indeed on Cleveland’s list of targets. The Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter could also be a target to watch for Cleveland, but his contract — he’s in the first year of a four-year, $90MM extension — would make the Cavs’ future cap issues more challenging. O’Neale will be a free agent after the season.
The Pistons had some exploratory discussions with a number of teams regarding swingman Bojan Bogdanović. However, it’s not a certainty they’ll deal him, says Stein. They may want to keep him around to help avoid setting the NBA record for the worst all-time season record, currently held by Sixers (9-73).
The Jazz’s surge up the Western Conference standings has made it tougher to predict what their front office will do in the coming weeks. Kelly Olynyk and Jordan Clarkson are the veterans most frequently mentioned as potential trade pieces but the chatter regarding John Collins has died down since he became the team’s starting center, according to Stein. Top exec Danny Ainge will still likely listen to trade pitches for virtually any player on the roster.
Dejounte Murray‘s list of potential suitors includes the Spurs, Lakers, Nets, Knicks and Pistons, Stein reports. The Hawks, as previously noted, are looking to replenish their draft assets after they gave up three first-round picks (two of their own) and a pick swap to acquire him from San Antonio in 2022.

Southeast Notes: Butler, Ntilikina, Hayward, Murray

January 16th, 2024 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat forward Jimmy Butler was able to play 40 minutes on Monday after missing 11 of the previous 12 games with a toe and calf injuries. Butler supplied 31 points in the overtime win over the Nets.

“I got my rhythm as I was coming back,” he said. “Guys were looking for me, got out in open court.”

It was only the ninth time all season that the Heat’s top three players — Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro — all played in the same game, and the seventh time all season they finished the game, Tim Bontemps of ESPN notes.

“We just have to keep playing basketball the right way with or without myself, Tyler, and Bam in the lineup,” Butler said. “We’ve always found a way to win games. We will continue to do so. But I like the idea of us three being on the court at the same time.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Frank Ntilikina has yet to make his Hornets debut, but that should change soon, according to Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. The guard is currently in the advanced stages of his rehab and on-court work. He suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left tibia in the preseason finale. Ntilikina had a non-guaranteed deal but the team chose to keep him past the league-wide January 10 salary guarantee date. “I want one thing: “I just to get back on the court with these guys. I feel like everybody out here trusts me, the coach, my teammates,” Ntilikina said. He’s listed as questionable to play Wednesday against New Orleans, Boone tweets.
Another injured Hornets player, Gordon Hayward, will need more time to recover from his latest injury. Hayward has missed the last nine games with a strained left calf and has only been able to do light work, Boone reports. “It’s a tricky situation with a calf strain like that,” Hayward said. “I’m not there yet, so it’s not like there’s a timeline or anything. But it is getting better.” Hayward’s $31.5MM salary will come off the Hornets’ books after the season, if he’s not dealt in the coming weeks.
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray is well aware of the trade rumors enveloping him. Murray told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears “I love my teammates,” adding that he tries to keep the chatter out of mind. “I know what the main goal is. The main goal is today,” he said. “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.”

Hawks Notes: Murray, Young, Rebuild, Forrest, Milestone

January 15th, 2024 at 8:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, whose name has been mentioned prominently in trade circles, made an interesting comment during Monday’s TNT broadcast. In an interview with Dennis Scott relayed by Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs (Twitter link), Murray indicated he wouldn’t mind playing for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich again.

“Pop is like a father to me, I would welcome that,” Murray said. “But right now, I’m a Hawk, I’m going to stay professional and play the right way.”

The Hawks gave up three first-rounders in a package to acquire Murray from San Antonio in the summer of 2022. However, the Spurs reportedly have some interest in reacquiring the standout guard.

We have more on the Hawks:

They are on a fast track toward major changes, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines. While a Trae Young trade probably won’t happen this season, it may come to a point where Young and the franchise decide it’s best if he goes elsewhere to pursue a title. In the meantime, the Hawks may sit Young later in the season if they keep losing in order to improve their lottery odds, O’Connor suggests.
In terms of Murray, O’Connor reports that the Hawks are asking for two first-round picks as part of the package but no one has met their demands. O’Connor adds that Murray would prefer to play for a contender, although the Spurs would seem to be the exception.
Fourth-year guard Trent Forrest has carved out a rotation spot, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. He’s averaging 16 minutes per game this month. Forrest is on a two-way deal.
Young reached a milestone in the Hawks’ 10-point win over San Antonio on Monday. He passed 10,000 points for his career while scoring 36 against the Spurs. “It was not on my mind at all,” Young said, as relayed by The Associated Press’ Charles Odum. “I was just trying to go out there and win and put on a show.”