Hawks seeking two firsts in return for Dejounte Murray

The Hawks apparently have their sights set high-ish in trade talks involving guard Dejounte Murray.

Per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Atlanta wants two first-round draft picks in any deal involving Murray. They would have to take back salary, so those picks would be in addition to players.

Granted, the Murray-Trae Young experiment has proven to be a flop so far, but the Hawks don’t definitely have to trade Murray. So they can shoot for the stars when it comes to what they want in exchange. Odds are, whatever they get won’t compel them to contender status this season.

So why just give him away if you’re not going to win big anyway?

That seems to be the thinking in Atlanta. We will trade Murray, but you’d better make it worth our while. Quite frankly, that’s the best approach for a team that has gone nowhere since reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

Murray has been linked mostly to the Lakers, but also to the Spurs and several others. He is believed to be hoping for a trade to a contender, if he does in fact get traded.