by Ben Perks
Dejountae Murray’s move to the Atlanta Hawks has led Vegas oddsmakers to cut his new team’s NBA championship odds from +9000 +5000. The Hawks completed the blockbuster trade on Wednesday, acquiring the All-Star guard in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and multiple first-round picks.
Get an analysis of the potential impact of Murray and the latest NBA championship odds.
Dejountae Murray Trade Info
- Bovada have the Hawks at +5000 to win the NBA title – other sportsbooks have given them +3500 odds
- The San Antonio Spurs traded Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale to the Atlanta Hawks
- The Spurs received forward Danilo Gallinari, 2023 first-round pick (from Charlotte), 2025 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, and a 2026 first-round pick swap
- Murray just had the best season of his career, averaging 21.1 points and shooting 46 percent from the floor
Are the Hawks Now Serious Title Challengers?
After days of speculation, Hawks president Travis Schlenk and GM Landry Fields finally got Murray. Now Atlanta fans will be hoping that the former Spurs player can pick up the franchise after suffering a first-round sweep against Miami Heat in the playoffs.
The addition of Murray should take some of the pressure off point guard Trae Young, who led Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals at 22 in 2021.
Scoring has never been a problem for “Ice Trae” – the star averaged 28.4 points and 9.7 assists in the 2021-22 regular season. As a team, Atlanta finished the 21-22 season with a scoring average of 113.1 points – the sixth-best in the league.
However, the Hawks struggled defensively last season, surrendering 112 points per game – ranking 18th in the NBA and recording a poor average point differential of 1.1.
The stats show how much the Hawks needed a player like Murray.
The stats show how much the Hawks needed a player like Murray. The pacey baller ended last season with a league-leading 138 steals – the most steals in a season since Paul George swiped 170 for OKC in 2018-19.
His addition to the squad will enable Young to play off-ball more, clearing room on the floor and finding open three-pointers off back-screens.
Murray’s quick feet, grit, and athleticism will lock down opposing guards far more effectively than Kevin Huerter did last season. Huerter ended with an embarrassing 122.2 defensive rating (and a -11.2 net rating) – not what a player like Young needs. When the two played together, they had a combined 117.1 defensive rating.
With De’Andre Hunter and John Collins flanking him on the wings, and Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu protecting the rim, expect Murray to help his new team become a defensive powerhouse.
Since joining the Hawks coach Nate McMillan has always tried to adopt a defense and physical approach to games – now, with Murray in his squad – he will be able to do it properly.
Along with his presence in the backcourt, he has impressive attacking stats. Despite being surrounded by an underperforming unit, he averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.3 rebounds for the Spurs.
So with Murray now in the squad, the Atlanta Hawks represent solid futures betting value to go far in the playoffs or even the whole way.
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Image credit: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
