The Hawks and Pelicans made a shocking deal today, with the Hawks sending Murray to Nance Jr., Daniels, Liddell, plus a 2025 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick (the lower of the Bucks and Pelicans). Among them, Nance Jr. is 31 years old when his contract expires, Daniels is a first-round pick in '22 and is still very young, and Liddell is a second-round pick in '22 and a rookie at No. 41.
The deal was nothing short of a robbery, as the Pelicans had intended to give up on Ingram. But now with Murray, Pelicans management has decided to keep the original cast. They will keep the big three core of Fat Tiger, McCollum and Ingram, plus Murray. The Pelicans started with point guard Murray, point guard McCollum, No. 3 Ingram, No. 4 Fat Tiger, and No. 5 Wallan.
At least in terms of roster, the Pelicans already have the strength to fight in the West, and they have finally been promoted to the No. 1 spot. All we can say is that the Hawks have gone crazy lately, and they previously gave the Rockets a second-round pick with the 44th pick for a 22-round pick at the price of Griffin, who was 16 picks in '22. It's unbelievable to sell Murray so cheaply today. This season, Murray is the No. 1 core of the team with the Hawks, playing in 78 games, averaging 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 35 minutes per game, shooting 46% from the field and 36.3% from three-point range.
Murray's stats are definitely superstar performances, and he's both offensive and defensive. On the offensive end, he can connect in tandem, break through strong attacks, and have reliable outside three-point shooting. Defensively, Murray is second only to Holiday and is a quality guard with a young contract and a small contract, and the three matching players the Pelicans send are actually very mediocre, and the two first-round picks are of little value. Because the Hawks paid more chips than that in order to get Murray. In June '22 the Spurs were ready to rebuild, and they sent Murray to the Hawks.
The Eagles have Gallinari as the main balance chip and a whole bunch of draft picks. There's the Hornets' '23 first-round pick, as well as the Hawks' own 2025 and 2027 first-round picks and 2026 first-round swaps, all unprotected. It can be said that the eagle gambled on everything, but this time it was sold at a loss. You look at the Nets selling Bridges chips? Big Joe's stats are not as good as Murray's, averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Even if the forward line is more expensive than the defender, the difference is not so big? The Knicks have emptied all draft picks. It's no wonder that the Lakers media were so angry when the Pelicans got Murray, and they angrily scolded Pelinka for why he couldn't bear Reaves?
Because of the chips given by the Pelicans, the Lakers can fully afford it. The most important thing is that Murray and James have a very good relationship, the two are brothers, and Murray has always said that he is James' favorite little brother. And the style of play is so compatible with James, he is also a refueler who can reduce the pressure on James in terms of offense and defense, including organization. In terms of annual salary, Murray can be described as cheap. His four-year, $114 million contract extension won't take effect until next season, with a first-year salary of $25.2 million. Are you going to use 25.2 million to find a defender of Murray's level and give it a try?
On top of that, the Lakers don't need that many guards. With Murray, neither Russell nor Reeves need it. The Lakers could build a better Big Three than they did at the time. Murray is only 28 years old and at the peak of his career, and he is more suitable for the future of thick eyebrows. And Murray has proven his might, he scored 44+7+7 to lead the team to a comeback against the Celtics this year, and even the Green Army defense can't hold him back. The Lakers miss this opportunity and will fall into a passive situation. The chips given by the Pelicans are almost no different from the value of Murray itself. A draft loser, Reaves, really deserves so much love from the Lakers?