The Atlanta Hawks made a bold acquisition last offseason with their blockbuster trade for Dejounte Murray. The franchise was seemingly pushing its chips to the center of the table, but the results were far from the jackpot they were hoping for.
After his first full season alongside Trae Young, is there a belief that this experiment can still work?
"I have some questions," John Fricke explained about the situation facing the Atlanta Hawks. "[Dejounte] Murray is in the final year of his contract, so it had better work and work long term because Dejounte Murray is going to be a max guy and you can't have two max guards if they aren't going to be worthy of winning an NBA world title together."
If they don't plan on resigning him to a max contract in the near future, then the Atlanta Hawks will be forced to trade him because they absolutely cannot afford to just let him walk away in free agency next summer.
The pair of Murray and Trae Young did show flashes at points this season, highlighted by their game three dominance versus the Boston Celtics when they combined for 57 points on 53-percent shooting, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists, but they often lacked the necessary chemistry to close out games.
The hope is for Quin Snyder to rebuild this roster in his image over the course of his first offseason in Atlanta, but will that include Murray?
"It will be a fascinating offseason for the Atlanta Hawks," Fricke continued. "What they do in free agency -- if they have any room in free agency -- or what they do in terms of the draft or in trades to remodel this team."