Hawks could meet the asking price for a Trey Murphy trade

The Hawks have the assets to make moves if Onsi Saleh chooses to capitalize, and a Trey Murphy trade should be on his radar.

Joe Dumars took over as the Pelicans’ GM, and reports immediately surfaced that no player is untouchable, with Trey Murphy and Herb Jones sparking league-wide interest, and the former having a steeper asking price.

According to Chris Dodson, the asking price for Murphy is a servicable veteran who can log postseason minutes, a decent prospect, and multiple first-round picks as the starting point.

Murphy is just 24 years old and is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with a near-60% true shooting percentage.

He’s the quintessential two-way wing that would thrive with Trae Young. Murphy can defend multiple positions, knock down threes, and score in other ways. Even better, he might not have even reached his peak.

The asking price of a servicable veteran, prospect, and multiple first-round picks is also not crazy. The Hawks could package Onyeka Okongwu or Caris LeVert (if he’s re-signed), Kobe Bufkin (probably not enough) or Zaccharie Risacher, and a pair of first-round picks for Murphy.

Saleh could also include this year’s 13th overall pick instead of the 22nd to entice the Pelicans to take the lesser of OO/LeVert and Bufkin/Risacher. Suffice to say, the Hawks could make that deal if they value Trey Murphy enough.

Even if the bidding war for Murphy gets out of hand, the Hawks should still inquire about the asking price of Herb Jones, who is another guy that could fit really well in Atlanta because of his two-way versatility.