Murray, who finished the first round in 2016, is coming from the best season of his career, in which he led the stealing league and made the All-Star Game for the first time. He averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and two steals, while shooting 46.2 percent off the field. All of these signs were top career. The Hawks will now pair him with Trae Young to form one of the best young backcourts in the league. As for the Spurs, they are turning to a remake – one that they hope will give them their first choice in the 2023 NBA draft and a chance to take Victor Wembanyama. The 18-year-old French tall man, 7 feet, 2, is widely considered a generation prospect and has already impressed as a professional in his homeland. Let’s rate the trade.

Falcons

Receive: After their surprise in the Eastern Conference finals in 2021, the Hawks seemed to be a rising team. Instead, they took a step back last season and had to make a big comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-offs just to sneak into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. In January, when the team was still below 0,500, GM Travis Schlenk gave an interesting interview in which he admitted that he read too much in the 2021 playoffs. “Maybe I should lower my expectations for this team,” he said. Schlenk. “I have to accept this responsibility that maybe it was not such a good idea to bring everyone back. This is mine.” At that point it was clear that no matter what happened in the last months of last season, the Hawks were in a summer of transformation. In his honor, Schlenk did not wait long to put his words into practice and acquired one of the most flexible young guards in the league. The extent to which the Hawks will be able to challenge the established contenders at the top of the East remains to be seen – and will depend on the other moves they make this summer – but it is much better now than it was before the trade. Here’s a look at the impetus Murray gives them based on the predictions of SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh: Without Murray 41.2 54.6% 1.6% With Murray 44.0 71.6% 4.8% Effect +2.8

  • 17.0%
  • 3.2% Murray, who led the league to steals last season, is one of the best perimeter defenders thanks in large part to his incredible 6.5-foot wingspan. He will be able to cover some of Trae Young’s problems on this side of the ball and improve the defense of the Hawks, who finished 26th in the league last season and allowed 113.7 points per 100 possessions. In addition, Murray is a talented playmaker and is coming out of his most effective scoring season. It is worth noting, however, that it is better to finish around the edge or score from the midfield and shoot just 32.7 percent from three-pointers last season. This highlights perhaps the most interesting aspect of the trade, which is that it seems to require Young to play off the ball more than he has ever had in his career. Yang, who shot 48.1 percent in catch-and-shoot three-pointers last season (though only once per game), is more than capable of doing so. However, it will require a serious buy-in from a player who is used to having the ball in his hands more than anyone in the league. In addition, it will be interesting to see how this will affect the Hawks’ attack. For all their defensive issues, they scored at will last season, finishing second in the league with 115.4 points per 100 possessions, behind Yang’s strong pick-and-roll approach. But for whatever growing pain there may be next season, this trade was not unfair to the Hawks. They took a 25-year-old All-Star on the rise for a few belated options in the first round, if all goes according to plan. Grade A.

Spurs

Receive:

Danilo Galinari First round selection 2023 through the Charlotte Hornets First round selection 2025 via Atlanta Hawks (unprotected) First round selection round 2026 through the Atlanta Hawks First round selection 2027 via Atlanta Hawks (unprotected)

When the Spurs traded Derrick White to the Boston Celtics for Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford, a first-round pick in 2022 (played by Blake Wesley) a surprise. But now we can see it as the first step in a teardown. They continued to dismantle their roster on Wednesday, exchanging Murray, who is one of the most interesting young guards in the league, and coming out of the best season of his career. They do not hide their intentions at this point: the Spurs are the first to dive into the Victor Wembanyama draw. It is difficult to blame them. Wembanyama, an 18-year-old Frenchman 7 feet 2, is one of the most interesting prospects to ever meet on the world stage. The ridiculous combination of his size, length and coordination makes him a destructive defensive force that can cause any shot to the edge and more than just keeping himself on the perimeter. Aggressive is a constant threat to lobs and has shown an impressive touch away from the basket. (For more, check out this analysis from our Kyle Boone.) If the Spurs tank succeeds and finishes No. 1 in the NBA Draft of 2023, then this could be considered to change the league. Wembanyama has the opportunity to be so special. However, the deal gives a lot of reserves to the lottery victory, which is not a guarantee due to the new leveled odds. You could have the worst record in the league after 10 games and easily continue to pick No. 3. There would still be a good player available in this pick, but not Wembanyama. If that happens, you think the Hawks will collapse in a few years – something that is less likely now that they have Murray. The 2023 selection through the Hornets is likely to be in the middle of the first round and the 2025 selection through the Hawks figures will also be towards the back half of the first round. The 2026 and the first 2027 options exchange through the Hawks are far in the future to be discussed with certainty, but there is a good chance that neither is particularly important. In this very realistic scenario, you did not get much for an All-Star guard who was in his prime. Of course, the Spurs know all this, as they know that keeping Murray (and White) they would be left to spin their wheels in mediocrity. Entering all in for Wembanyama is a risk, but the potential reward could change their franchise forever. Only time will tell if their bet will be placed. Degree: Incomplete