Steph Curry and the Warriors are expected to trade for a $114 million star.
The Golden State Warriors, who have lost eight of their past eleven games and are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely, have to admit that they need to make some significant changes if they hope to preserve Stephen Curry’s remaining good years in the league. After all, Curry turns 36 in March, and the Warriors are currently sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference, two spots outside of the play-in round.
Before the NBA trade deadline next month, a number of names have been floated in relation to the Warriors, but Dejounte Murray of the Hawks might be the most sensible choice for a club in need of playmaking.
Prior to the trade deadline, Murray is connected to the Warriors in The Athletic as a “best fit.”
He won’t be inexpensive. As requested by Atlanta, the Warriors would need to forfeit two first-round picks in order to acquire him. Given that Murray already has an awkward four-year, $114 million deal in place, perhaps that price could be lowered. But this year, the Warriors need to pull through, and Murray could be the player to make it happen.
Warriors Trade May Include For Dejounte Murray, Chris Paul
For Atlanta right now, Murray is averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds. He is making 47.1% of his field goals and 38.3% of his three-pointers. Although he hasn’t played very well defensively for Atlanta, he has the potential to be a great defensive player.
Murray would be a perfect fit because of his shooting, defense, and ability to create plays that may relieve some of Curry’s load. Financially speaking, things may get complicated with Murray because the Warriors would probably need to pay back both him and another high-paid player in order to get rid of Chris Paul, their most valuable trade piece. Paul will cost $30.8 million this year, but his deal is uncertain for the following one.
Clint Capela, a center with one more year remaining on his $22 million contract, has been the target of the Hawks’ attempts to trade him. Even if it places further strain on the team’s already limited resources, the Warriors may find it advantageous to take on Capela because they really require sizeย payroll that is already complicated.
Paul, Cory Joseph, Moses Moody, and one first-round pick would make up a deal that would be able to bring Murray and Capela back to the Warriors if it contained Moody rather than a pick.
Support for Stephen Curry in the Backcourt
The Warriors would have a more reasonable backcourt if Murray and Curry were paired, and Golden State has been keen to bench Paulโwho is injuredโfor the majority of the season. Murray is a player who can eat up minutes at either guard position, which is exactly what the team needs in depth at the position. One advantage of having Murray on the club is that he can fill any job that has to be filled. He will adopt the persona of the group that surrounds him.
“The thing with Dejounte Murray is that he is a very good defensive player and a very good offensive player, but at the same time, he is not great at either,” one Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports this week. He is competent. His defense will likely be stronger and his offense may take a backseat if he is placed on a defensive-minded squad.
“You’re going to see that if you put him on a club like the Hawks, who are offensively oriented. He did not alter the culture of a complete team with Atlanta because he is insufficiently skilled on defense.