"Pop is like a father to me": Hawks star Dejounte Murray welcomes Spurs reunion in NBA Trade deadline saga
Dejounte Murray continues to be among the main names tossed around in trade rumors. Dejounte Murray is an Atlanta Hawk for now, however, many teams are reportedly interested in his services. The New York Knicks and LA Lakers are reportedly interested in trading for the guard. As are the San Antonio Spurs.
Murray spent the first five seasons of his career with the Spurs. It would be a reunion with coach Gregg Popovich. It is a reunion that Murray would welcome.
"Pop is like a father to me, I would welcome that. But right now, I'm a Hawk, I'm going to stay professional and play the right way,” Murray said.
He made the comments on the TNT broadcast of the Hawks game against the Spurs on Monday. Murray and the Hawks beat the Spurs 109-99. Murray had 13 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
The Hawks overcame phenom Victor Wembanyama’s solid performance. He scored 26 points in the loss.
The trade deadline is Feb. 8. The Hawks appear to be open to multiple deals; it remains to be seen where Murray could land. Atlanta is 11th in the East and 16-23. The Hawks are likely to try and make some moves to move up into playoff contention as they continue to slide.
Potential Dejounte Murray trade destinations
The Atlanta Hawks are continuing to shop Dejounte Murray. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Atlanta wants two first-round picks in return for Murray. The asking price has been too high for some teams as Murray remains in Atlanta.
Murray has also held back a trade move a bit as he wants to land on a team that is a playoff contender. No team has met those two demands yet.
The Spurs are among the teams who are pursuing Murray. They want him back to run their offense as they are struggling without a solid point guard or ball handler. It would be difficult as the Spurs already own Atlanta’s first-round picks in 2025 and 2027. Those may be too valuable to give back for Murray.
The LA Lakers are also interested in Murray. They also are interested in the Hawks starting center Clint Capela. They could use a package of D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura with picks to get the two players.
The Knicks also want to make another move and acquire another All-Star to move up the standings in the East. New York waived players to make roster space and Dejounte Murray could be one of those players it brings in. He could be a strange fit next to the ball-dominant Jalen Brunson. However, the Knicks could also use another scorer to compliment Brunson.