After a highly disappointing campaign in the 2021-22 season, the Atlanta Hawks responded with one of the premier signings of the summer so far: young stud Dejounte Murray, who joins Trae Young in Atlanta’s star-studded backcourt.
In a recent chat with HoopsHype, Murray spoke about his expectations with the Hawks and revealed his true feelings about teaming up with one of the game’s best shooters.
“We’re both hoopers. We’ve been texting each day, whether it’s about life, basketball, or taking care of our family and building that chemistry. He’s a hooper, and he’s really smart. He’s willing to do what it takes to win. He’s another All-Star and a guy who works hard. He wanted me as bad as I wanted to go over there to help…We’re both smart, and we love the game. When you add those things together, you figure out ways to win. The main goal is to win, and that’s what we both want.”
The Hawks have long been looking for a co-star for Young, and they may have struck gold with Murray. While he is still young and relatively unproven, he raises the team’s ceiling by a sizeable margin — and they know it.
“That’s something we didn’t have last year,” said Hawks GM Landry Fields. “So, coach Nate [McMillan] and his staff are going to be creative to make that work. We bet on the character makeup of Trae and Dejounte. Both of those guys want to win, and will do what it takes to win. They need that because their roles will be a lot different than they were last year, from both respective teams. As long as they’re able to do what it takes, Coach [McMillan] then comes in and is able to get creative with how they’ll operate. From a front-office standpoint, we’ll determine if we need to inject more here, here or here. Hopefully, all three of those are working at the same time.”
Dejounte Murray isn’t at the same level as Kevin Durant, who is also reportedly available for trade. But his age and skill set should make a nice fit in Atlanta and could set them up for success down the road.
This upcoming season will be a major test of what they can do together, and it will be interesting how it all works out.
