The Atlanta Hawks will soon bear the true brunt of the Dejounte Murray trade

The Atlanta Hawks are already feeling the consequences of their trade for Dejounte Murray during the 2022 offseason.

They have yet to see a sustainable version of the dynamic backcourt they envisioned when they acquired Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. They were a Play-In Tournament team both years and missed the playoffs this year.

General manager Landry Fields has been brutally honest about his star backcourt.

“The sample size is getting bigger and bigger,” Fields told reporters in February. “I can’t lie to you, the numbers speak for themselves on that.”

Fields was careful not to get his hands on the plans for the Hawks’ backcourt, just like he did with the No. 1 overall pick. Whatever he wants to do with the roster, trading Murray — who played a key role in ousting his predecessor — will make his task more difficult.

The 2023 first-round pick (from the Charlotte Hornets) and the $114 million contract extension he signed were just the beginning.

After this season, Atlanta no longer controls its first-round pick until the 2028 season.

They sent first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 as well as a trade in 2026. League rules also prevent them from outright trading their 2028 first-round pick, meaning they won’t be able to maybe not trade a pick until 2029. That also effectively takes by then I’m off the table.

That’s a good reason to believe Fields when he said they have no plans to take a step back before the deadline.

It could also be indicative of his plans this offseason.

However, he will once again have to face the reality of the Murray trade. Without a draft pick, Fields might have to overpay from the draft capital and player contracts he has to make up the difference in a trade.

Besides Murray and Young, they have several expensive veterans – Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter – who are trade candidates.

But their availability highlights another negative effect of the Murray trade: the cap crunch.

The Hawks are about $8 million below the luxury tax threshold, a figure they will surely exceed if they re-sign restricted free agent Saddiq Bey. They have only paid the luxury tax twice in franchise history.

They were among the first teams to pay, as they had to assess the tax after the 2022-23 season, when the tax first took effect.

The Hawks also paid the smallest amount in tax history in 2012, according to Dunc’d on Prime.

They have actively avoided the tax in recent years, trading away Kevin Huerter and John Collins at least in part due to salary cap concerns. Their results on the field could justify the exchanges, even if the returns highlighted the financial aspect.

Trading Collins for a conditional second-round pick and an aging veteran in Rudy Guy, then flipping Gay — and the return received by taking him away — highlighted that even more.

The Hawks’ $20.5 million exception on the Collins trade expires in just under two months.

Their decision to use it or not could be indicative of their true willingness to spend, which often goes forward. hand in hand with victory in the NBA, provided that the composition of the players is good. The Hawks have shown their willingness to spend.

How far are they willing to go to overcome the glass ceiling they have been under for several years?