Dejounte Murray’s Injury Clouds His Value - But Context Matters for Hawks Fans Evaluating Dyson Daniels
Dejounte Murray’s stock has taken a steep hit - and it’s not hard to see why. The former All-Star guard hasn’t suited up this season due to a torn Achilles, and with no timetable for return, questions about his future are growing louder. Murray is still owed $30 million annually over the next three years, and for teams around the league, that’s a tough pill to swallow when there’s no guarantee he’ll return to form - or even return at all.
That’s the reality facing the New Orleans Pelicans, who made a bold swing not long ago to bring Murray in from Atlanta. The deal cost them Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks - a hefty price tag that, at the time, sparked criticism of the Hawks for moving on from Murray too soon. After all, Atlanta had given up three firsts to land him from San Antonio in the first place.
But injuries change everything in the NBA, and a torn Achilles is one of the toughest to bounce back from, especially for a player who relies heavily on quickness and defensive agility. At 29, Murray is now entering the back half of his prime, and with that contract hanging over the books, he’s being viewed less as a foundational piece and more as a potential liability.
Pelicans head coach James Borrego recently confirmed there’s still no timetable for Murray’s return, and that uncertainty only adds to the challenge. Complicating matters further: New Orleans doesn’t control its own first-round pick next season, so there's no incentive to tank. But even with that in mind, the risk of re-injury makes it difficult to justify rushing him back.
Why Hawks Fans Should Keep the Bigger Picture in Mind
While the Pelicans deal with the fallout of Murray’s injury, it’s worth flipping the lens back to Atlanta - and more specifically, to Dyson Daniels.
Daniels, the centerpiece of the return for Murray, is having a rough go of it offensively. There’s no sugarcoating it: his three-point shooting has been historically bad this season. His 10.8% mark from beyond the arc, given his volume, would rank among the worst long-range shooting seasons in NBA history.
But here’s where context matters - and where Hawks fans need to take the long view. Even with the shooting woes, Daniels is still making a major impact on the defensive end.
He currently ranks as the league’s top perimeter isolation defender, building on the elite defensive reputation he started carving out last season. That kind of two-way potential is rare, and it’s why Atlanta was willing to bet on his upside.
The shooting struggles are real, but they’re not necessarily permanent. Daniels hit 34% from three just last season - not elite, but certainly respectable.
The mechanics haven’t disappeared, and he’s not shying away from taking shots. That’s crucial.
The worst-case scenario for a young player struggling with his shot isn’t missing - it’s hesitating. And Daniels isn’t doing that.
He’s still letting it fly, and he’s putting in the work behind the scenes.
There’s no guarantee he turns into a knockdown shooter, but expecting a regression to the mean isn’t wishful thinking - it’s basketball math. At just 21 years old, Daniels has time to figure it out. And for a Hawks team that’s clearly not in win-now mode, that developmental runway is exactly what he needs.
The Bottom Line
Dejounte Murray’s injury has shifted the narrative around the trade that sent him to New Orleans, but it doesn’t mean Atlanta lost the deal. Dyson Daniels is still very much a work in progress, but his defensive ceiling is as high as anyone’s in the league. If the shot comes around - and there’s reason to believe it will - the Hawks could end up with a cornerstone piece for years to come.
So while the Pelicans are left grappling with the uncertainty surrounding Murray’s future, the Hawks would be wise to stay the course with Daniels. Development isn’t always linear, and sometimes, the payoff takes a little patience.