Could the Nets still go after Hawks’ Dejounte Murray this summer?

The Brooklyn Nets are coming off a 2023-24 season in which they finished with a disappointing 32-50 record despite an pleasantly-surprising 13-10 start to the campaign amidst tough circumstances. While it’s still left to be seen if Brooklyn will be keeping things status quo, there is one player that they could go after if they want to shake things up.

One of the main players that the Nets have been linked to since the first half of last season was Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. Murray was someone that the Hawks were reportedly putting on the trade block as they sought to shake things up around star point guard Trae Young due to the team’s inability to make it out of the first round since the 2020-21 season.

While Brooklyn is in need of a few pieces to the roster, they have also been weary of giving up more than they should for trades given the delicate state of their franchise right now. For example, the Nets were one of the main teams pursuing Murray when Atlanta made him available this season, but with reports that the Hawks wanted two first-round picks for Murray, Brooklyn began to shy away from that price.

Granted, a player of Murray’s stature is probably correctly valued at two first-round picks given what he brings to a team and because of his contract as well. Murray averaged 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 45.9% from the field and 36.3% from three-point land.

Also, Murray’s four-year, $114 million extension will begin next season as he will be getting paid somewhere between $25.4 million and $31.6 million over the next four years. Similar to Nets wing Mikal Bridges, Murray is on a valuable contract for what he brings to the table and Brooklyn may not have to give up too much if they want to bring Murray to the franchise.

Per Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, a potential trade for Murray could look as follows: