Teams have been very busy so far this NBA offseason, with the latest trade sending Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and more. This move has tremendous fantasy implications for each side.
Murray had his breakout in the 2021-22 season with the San Antonio Spurs. But, his production dropped after being traded to the Atlanta Hawks the following season. The Murray-Trae Young backcourt experiment hurt the 27-year-old’s fantasy value, and this season, he averaged 22.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.6 3PM, and 2.6 TOV on 46/36/79 splits. His value ranked just inside the top 40 in both years with the Hawks.
Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect Murray’s San Antonio numbers in New Orleans. He was sharing the court with Young in Atlanta, but now he’ll play with CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson. Adding more quality players to the mix won’t hike his value. However, Murray can return to the point guard role and take care of ball-handling duties. Ingram’s 5.7 assists per game led the team this season, an area where the point guard can improve his numbers. It’s difficult to see his points increasing by much or at all, with the Pelicans’ trio each averaging at least 20 per game. Murray does offer defensive numbers through his steals and three-point shooting to a team that ranked in the bottom half of the league in that category. The point guard also should have opportunities to take the lead offensively, as the Pelicans have issues with availability. Overall, this trade likely won’t help his fantasy value, but it is good for the Hawks.
The Hawks created a huge hole on their roster by moving Murray, but this has promising implications for the team, especially their backcourt. Young is now the sole star. He was already a late first/second-round pick with Murray, but managers can still expect a boost to his offensive numbers and overall value as the team relies on him more. Jalen Johnson can also become the second option on the team and replace Murray as Young’s co-star. Many managers were already intrigued by the forward’s fantasy value for this upcoming season, and this trade makes him a more enticing pick.
With a vacant starting shooting guard spot, Bogdan Bogdanovic or Daniels will likely take the job. The former is coming off one of his best years as a sixth man. Bogdanovic also started 33 games and had solid stats in that role. When a finger injury kept Young sidelined for about two months, the Hawks heavily relied on the 31-year-old, who usually delivered.
Even if Daniels doesn’t get the starting gig, he is poised to have a bigger role in Atlanta and could be worth a late draft flier. With less competition for playing time, he can be one of the primary backup guards. The 21-year-old flashed some potential when given more minutes, averaging 8.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.1 APG, and 1.8 SPG on 40/22/88 splits across 16 games as a starter in 2023-24. The trade also benefits 2023 15th overall pick Kobe Bufkin, who has a chance to get more involved.
Although, Nance Jr. doesn’t stand to gain as much. He figures to have a reduced impact with Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu occupying the starting and backup center spots. A trade could benefit Nance, but his role is currently unclear.
The current fantasy impacts of the Murray trade are subject to change with another trade. Potential destinations for McCollum and Ingram are dominating headlines. Moving either of them would mean the team relies more on Murray to create offensively, helping his fantasy value. It would also benefit Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones, who would have increased minutes.
The Hawks also could be looking to further strengthen their roster around Young, breakout young gun Johnson, and 2024 first-overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. They’re another team dominating trade rumours, and the Murray deal illustrated their readiness to adjust their roster.
