The Brilliance of the Dyson Daniels Trade

The Hawks were in a tough spot after last season. I look at how the return they got for Dejounte Murray resolved issues on the court and completely flipped their long-term outlook.

Remember when things were looking grim for the Atlanta Hawks earlier this year?

They were three years removed from the Eastern Conference Finals and each season seemed to have less progress than the last. They missed the playoffs this time and it became abundantly clear that their acquisition of Dejounte Murray was a misfire. It felt like they were guaranteed to convey valuable draft selections to the Spurs.

Their outlook completely shifted and it’s not because they lucked into getting the first-overall selection. They traded Murray to the Pelicans in a deal that reinvented them on the court.

After a tough start to the season, the Hawks went 7-1 in the beginning of December, including a six-game win streak. They haven’t had a stretch that strong since having two separate seven-game winning streaks in 2021-22. They are currently 16-15 after last night’s big comeback win against the Bulls. They’re slotted with the 7 seed, which would put them in the familiar Play-In territory.

Their trajectory may not sound too exciting or promising, but they are in a meaningfully brighter position than they were six months ago. The Murray trade was easily the most significant slept-on move of the offseason at the time it was made. That transaction alone undid a lot of the damage the Hawks inflicted on themselves in the original Murray trade.