With multiple seasons of evidence that Dejounte Murray and Trae Young are not additive pieces on the backcourt together, the Hawks decided it was time to split up the talented duo. They ended up moving him to New Orleans in exchange for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, EJ Lidell, Cody Zeller, and two first-round picks.
Unless you are a huge Dyson Daniels fan, this is an underwhelming return. Short of some insane lottery shenanigans, the 2025 Lakers pick they received is unlikely to be better than late lottery and the other pick they received is low upside as well. Daniels plays a solid floor game and can defend on the perimeter (which is sorely needed in Atlanta), but the offensive limitations seem to significantly cap his upside.
So why is this listed as their best move? Well, they didn’t exactly hit a home run with the rest of their moves (keep an eye on that Vit Krejci guy, though). Most importantly, it was a worthwhile endeavor to pull the plug on the Murray-Young combo. Though it can be argued that the primary pieces they received in return have limited potential to significantly alter their fortunes, they still provide a chance. There is an element of the unknown that might just lead to catching lightning in a bottle. Keeping these guys together just did not offer that. It was clear what the upside was, and it wasn’t all that pretty.