PHILADELPHIA — The NBA trade deadline came and went Thursday afternoon, and the Hawks stood pat and kept guard Dejounte Murray.
At the previous two trade deadlines, the Hawks made moves that at least at the time seemed to address some of the roster flaws. In 2022, they acted early and dealt wing Cam Reddish to the Knicks for Kevin Knox and a first-round draft pick three weeks before the deadline. One year later, they acquired Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando. They made a move at the wire, acquiring Saddiq Bey from the Warriors for five second-round picks.
This year, though, the Hawks decided to keep the roster that they had after seemingly not finding a deal that would benefit them long term.
Since January, several teams have been linked to the Hawks as potential trade partners for Murray. At the height of the trade rumors, the Knicks, the Heat, the Spurs, the Nets, the Bucks and most heavily, the Lakers in recent weeks.
Eventually talks with the Lakers cooled as the two sides could not reach a consensus, with the Hawks reportedly looking to acquire Austin Reaves, as opposed to D’Angelo Russell, who reportedly was included in a trade package. The Lakers had no interest in parting with Reaves, and the Hawks had little incentive to take on Russell, and eventually talks ceased.
Among the teams they also seemed to have strong discussions with were the Pelicans close to the deadline, according to several reports.
Ultimately, by the time the 3 p.m. ET deadline rolled around, the Hawks held on to the roster they began the season with.
The Hawks have seen some success over the past couple of weeks. They’ve gone 7-8 in their past 15 games and seemingly have seen a more consistent team.
Three of the wins in that span came against teams led by some of the league’s biggest superstars, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. The Hawks also put up some competitive performances against the Clippers, as well as the Celtics this week.
Though the Hawks ultimately did not make a deal, they still could engage in discussions this offseason after a new league calendar begins.
Until then, the Hawks will continue to focus on internal development and honing good habits that could lay the groundwork for postseason success.
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