Before the New York Knicks cashed in on Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks before the 2024 trade deadline, the front office explored other options. New York was coming off its best month of the season but was down Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson. At the time, Randle was expected to return before the playoffs, something that didn't happen.
There wasn't much chatter about the Knicks making their big swing for a star, but they still did their due diligence and reached out about the availability of one rival All-Star. Two summers ago, the Hawks traded Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks, and one pick swap to the Spurs for Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale.
Atlanta had high hopes for the Trae Young-Murray backcourt, but all the team has to show for it is one playoff series win. The Hawks didn't make it beyond the Play-In Tournament this past season. Before they reached that point, they listened to offers for Murray.
The Athletic's Fred Katz reported that Atlanta spoke with New York about Murray before the February deadline, but that talks didn't come close to an agreement (subscription required).
"The Hawks fielded offers for Murray leading up to this past winter’s trade deadline but couldn’t find one worth executing. During that time, they spoke with the Knicks, league sources said, but the two sides never got close to an agreement. Part of Murray’s appeal to New York was his flippability; the Knicks could trade for Murray at the deadline, then include him in another deal for a star this summer or next season."Fred Katz, The Athletic
Knicks spoke to Hawks about Dejounte Murray trade before deadline
There has been a lot of chatter about a Young and Murray trade. As Katz wrote, the Hawks are likelier to keep Young over Murray, as he's their homegrown star and is the better player.
Katz previously reported that the Knicks are targeting this summer as the time to trade for a star, but that star hasn't hit the market yet. He added that New York wouldn't be interested in Young if he hit the market.
Should the Knicks reach out to the Hawks again about a Murray trade? Considering the Young-Murray pairing hasn't worked out, there's reason to believe a Brunson-Murray backcourt will yield similar results.
Murray was a good defender when he was in San Antonio. He was named to the 2017-18 NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He came close to making the team again at the end of 2021-22, the season before he was traded. Murray hasn't played with that same defensive intensity in Atlanta, but maybe Thibs could bring it out of him in New York.
Like any other star-caliber player who hits the market, the Knicks should at least explore the option of a trade. However, regarding Murray, he isn't someone New York should cash in its chips for. The 27-year-old has three full seasons left on his current contract and a $31.3 million player option in 2027-28. Every star trade comes with risks, and a trade for Murray isn't a risk the Knicks should make.