The Utah Jazz Reportedly Said No To Trading For A Former All-Star

Dejounte Murray, a guard for the Atlanta Hawks, has been the focus of many trade speculations for the past few seasons. Murray is still with Atlanta and may be with the team for some time to come, despite those speculations. Ben Anderson of Utah’s KSL Sports, however, claims that the Hawks tried to move Murray to the Utah Jazz close to the 2024 NBA move Deadline. The Hawks desired guard Keyonte George, a rookie, in return. The Jazz turned down the trade offer.

“I will tell you that at the trade deadline, there was discussion about Dejounte Murray joining the Jazz, and it was going to come at a cost to the Jazz.” Jazz and Keyonte George refused.

George had promising moments during his debut campaign with the Jazz. The native of Texas made 75 appearances, 44 of which were starts. George finished the season with an average of 13.5, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. George was selected for the 2024 NBA All-Rookie Second Team due to his outstanding play throughout the season. George shot an amazing 8-for-11 from the floor to score 21 points in his final game of the season. Among them is a 5-for-6 score from outside the arc.

Murray is a fantastic player, but the Jazz’s rejection of this trade probably shows just how high they regard George. George, who is only 20 years old, might be Utah’s long-term point guard option.

Having the top overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, it appears that the team will need to retool if not completely rebuild. And with that, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype believes it is almost a given that the Hawks will let go of either Murray or Trae Young.

Rival executives generally believe that the Hawks will part ways with Dejounte Murray or Trae Young this offseason, shattering their backcourt. Moving Young was met with fierce opposition in previous years, but rival executives think Atlanta will be more receptive to the discussion this offseason than in the past.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Young is the more likely of the two to be heading out.

Murray will almost replace Young as the team’s primary building component in the event that the Hawks choose to move on from him when the draft comes around next month. The previous All-Star, who is only 27 years old, has improved every year and has the potential to go even better with a larger role the following season.

The Hawks Might Deal Dejounte Murray and Another Starter

According to recent sources, the Hawkls are willing to trade other important players on the team in addition to splitting up their backcourt. More precisely, Marc Stein claims that there is a possibility the Hawks will trade center Clint Capela during the offseason.

“Capela, who turned 30 on Saturday, averaged 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocked shots this season. His contract expires at $22.3 million next season. With Atlanta owning the first overall pick for the first time since 1975 and the presence of Onyeka Okongwu and the possible addition of another big man via the draft, Capela should become available.