Dejounte Murray was made available by the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline. While it was reported that the Utah Jazz were involved in talks to acquire the one-time All-Star, the nature of those discussions were not revealed.
Ben Anderson of Utah’s KSL Sports revealed that the team turned down a trade involving Keyonte George. Speaking on the Jazz Notes podcast, he stated (starting at the 37:10 mark):
I will tell you that there was some talk about Dejounte Murray to the Jazz at the trade deadline and it was going to cost the Jazz Keyonte George and the Jazz said no.
Utah selected George with the 16th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Their desire to hold on to him should be no surprise as they are in the midst of a rebuild. While Murray would make the team better, he would not put them over the top.
The Jazz rookie was named to the 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team on Monday. He averaged 13.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.1 blocks in 27.0 per game. George shot 39.1% from the field, 33.4% from three-point range and 84.8% from the free-throw line.
Western executive suggests Dejounte Murray trade for Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have regressed in back-to-back seasons after winning a championship in 2022. After suffering a second-round postseason exit last season, they missed the playoffs altogether this year. Speaking to Heavy’s Sean Deveney, an anonymous Western Conference executive suggested trading for Dejounte Murray, stating:
Of all the guys they might be able to trade for, he is probably realistic because he does not make a ton of money and they could add him, put him in Chris Paul’s spot, give up two first-round picks and now you’ve gotten some defense in there, you’ve got another scorer in there, you have a guy who make some sense. He’s 6-foot-5, he can guard three spots, he is an OK shooter and he won’t break your bank.
He noted that the one-time All-Star could also be a long-term fit, adding:
No one is gonna replace Steph, but that team needs to look at everybody they might think of getting and ask, ‘Stephen Curry replacement?’ ‘Stephen Curry replacement?’ If you can bring in Murray, you’ve got a point guard for the next five or 10 years if you want him. That’s a start on replacing him. [h/t Heavy.com]
Murray is just 27 years old and has four years and $114.2 million remaining on his contract. The last year is a player option for $31.6 million. He averaged a career-high 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.3 blocks per game in 2023-24. The Atlanta Hawks guard shot 45.9% from the field, 36.3% from three-point range and 79.4% from the free-throw line.
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