The Atlanta Hawks made a big move last offseason when the team decided to pull off a trade with the San Antonio Spurs for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. The thought was that Murray would give Trae Young the sort of backcourt running mate that he just hasn’t had during his tenure, and while there were certainly growing pains during his first year with the team, the Hawks have made the decision to keep Murray around on a new contract.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and Shams Charania of The Athletic, Murray and the Hawks have agreed to a new 4-year deal that will pay him $120 million. Charania notes that the final year of the deal features a player option.
All-Star guard Dejounte Murray with CEO of @KlutchSports Rich Paul and Atlanta Hawks have reached an agreement on a four-year, $120 million extension, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/jfQdUX2goL
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 6, 2023
Atlanta Hawks All-Star Dejounte Murray and CEO of Klutch Sports Rich Paul are finalizing a four-year, $120 million veteran maximum extension with the franchise, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Deal includes a player option.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2023
Doing this deal keeps Murray off of the open market last summer, as he was about to enter the final year of his deal before hitting unrestricted free agency. Adding another four years onto his stay in Atlanta means that Murray cannot hit free agency until 2027-28, unless he decides to decline his player option and enter the market a year earlier.
Murray averaged 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 36.4 minutes per game last year. Atlanta parted ways with Danilo Gallinari, three future first-round draft picks, and one pick swap in order to acquire Murray last June.