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The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly “monitoring” Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports, as the veteran guard continues to be one of the names most prominently mentioned in trade rumors.
Per that report, Murray’s market is “currently short” of the multiple first-round picks Atlanta is seeking.
The Nets, meanwhile, have some big decisions ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
The team is just 20-30 this season and the playoffs are probably a long shot for this current group of players. And outside of Mikal Bridges, the Nets don’t have any franchise cornerstones. Even Bridges is probably best cast as the third star on a contender.
So, do the Nets make a splash and go after a player like Murray—himself probably best cast as the third option on a contender—hoping the combination of Bridges and Murray can eventually attract another star?
The issue there is that Ben Simmons’ $40.3 million contract is eating up a huge chunk of the salary cap next season, and there’s no way they’ll be able to move that contract to a team with cap space this summer without giving up huge draft capital. Simmons, given his inability to stay on the court due to injury issues and that huge contract, is a negative asset.
So adding star power in free agency seems unlikely if the team trades for a player like Murray, even if he undoubtedly would improve their team. He would give the Nets a solid scorer (21.4 PPG, 37 percent from three), playmaker (5.2 APG) and perimeter defender (1.3 SPG), upgrading the point guard position.
He just likely wouldn’t help propel the Nets into playoff position.
Perhaps they could eventually use Simmons to match salaries in a trade for a major star and pair him with a mountain of draft capital to push the deal through. Trading for Murray now would mean giving up some of the assets that could be used to acquire a star in the future, however. It’s a tricky needle to thread.
The other option is to be sellers, moving off solid role players to add assets for future trades while building around Bridges.
In that regard, expiring contracts like Spencer Dinwiddie, Royce O’Neal, Lonnie Walker IV and perhaps even Nicolas Claxton would make sense for the team to deal, while most contenders would love to add a player like Dorian Finney-Smith and his affordable contract (he’s owed just $14.3 million next season and has a $15.3 million player option for the 2025-26 season).
The Nets are an intriguing team to monitor ahead of Thursday’s deadline. As sellers, they have the type of role players teams covet. As buyers, they have the assets to add a player like Murray. It’s just fair to question if that’s the right course of action given the rest of the roster and the cap constraints Simmons presents.
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