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Report: Hawks Were Interested in Acquiring Ausar Thompson or Jaden Ivey in A Potential Dejounte Murray Deal With the Pistons

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Jan 25, 2024 12:57 PM ET

Another big trade domino fell on Tuesday with the Hornets trading guard Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for a protected first round pick and Kyle Lowry. It was a move the Heat made to try and strengthen their team ahead of the playoffs while Charlotte is looking to shed some salary and collect some assets.

With another big move out of the way, what does this mean for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray? The Los Angeles Lakers has been the team that has been most connected to Murray, but there have been other teams interested.

According to James Edwards III, the Detroit Pistons beat writer for The Athletic, it was the Hawks that initiated trade discussions for Murray and reportedly were asking for a high price:

"The Pistons view Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren as their blue-chip pieces moving forward. Per league sources, the feeling is that Detroit has no interest in trading any four of those players in the immediate future.

A few weeks back, the Atlanta Hawks initiated a trade discussion with the Pistons centered around Dejounte Murray, league sources told The Athletic. The Hawks were interested in Thompson/Ivey and other stuff of good value. Detroit had no interest, according to league sources."

You can read the full piece here.

I think it is interesting that the Hawks were the ones initiating contact with the Pistons, a possible signal that the Hawks highly value either Thompson or Ivey. The problem for Atlanta is that the Pistons do as well and while they are the worst team in the NBA, they view those guys as players to build around for the future.

This report today goes in line with what Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer reported yesterday about what the Hawks are looking to get in return for Murray:

"A deal highlighted by the No. 35 pick probably isn’t going to strike Atlanta’s fancy for Murray, considering the Hawks, at present, are searching for a pair of first-round picks plus a starting-level player for their All-Star combo guard, league sources told Yahoo Sports."

I have a hard time seeing the Hawks getting that type of return for Murray, but it seems like Atlanta is going to ask a high price. The trade deadline is two weeks away.

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This article first appeared on Atlanta Hawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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