Dejounte Murray reportedly adds four years to his deal in Atlanta, which could give the Hawks reason to rethink their offense.
The Atlanta Hawks and Dejounte Murray have finalized a four-year, $120 million extension.
Murray, 26, was set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason but will instead secure a long-term contract to remain in Atlanta through the 2027-28 campaign.
The contract includes a player option for the final season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
DJ in the A: Here to Stay 🔥
We have signed guard Dejounte Murray to a contract extension! pic.twitter.com/hcByBJndIP
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 10, 2023
After news of the reported extension hit social media, Murray took to Twitter and tweeted the following from his account: “Atlanta #DM5 Been locked in from the moment y’all accepted me … Loyalty over everything”
ATLANTA #DM5🖤 Been Locked In From The Moment Y’all Accepted Me….. 💯 LOYALTY OVER EVERYTHING 🖤 Let’s Gooooooooooooooo!!!!!! #TrueToATLANTA pic.twitter.com/Bwuwc99kWr
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) July 7, 2023
The Hawks acquired Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in June 2022, giving up veteran forward Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks in the deal. He posted 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 74 starts last season.
Murray missed Game 5 of the Hawks’ first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics because of a suspension. Atlanta won that game, but lost the series 4-2 and has not been out of the first round since 2021, when it advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Hawks hired Quin Snyder as coach after 21 games and a 10-11 start under Nate McMillan, but ended up finishing the season 41-41 and got the No. 7 seed in the playoffs after winning an AT&T Play-In Tournament game vs. the Miami Heat.
With All-Star Trae Young in the fold and Murray by his side, the Hawks have hopes of rising in the East in 2023-24. Snyder overhauled some of his coaching staff in the offseason, bringing in Igor Kokoskov and Mike Brey, among others. The only holdovers from the staff Snyder inherited after taking over for McMillan are O’Neil Holder (player development) and Jacob Porter (video).
In addition to extending Murray, Atlanta’s offseason has included reportedly trading forward John Collins to the Utah Jazz and drafting Michigan product Kobe Bufkin with the No. 15 pick.
Young is desperate to take the next step — especially in a city that suddenly has shown an affection for its local NBA team.
After years of struggling to fill the seats, the Hawks averaged a team-record 17,555 per game and sold out State Farm Arena for nearly every game. But the team rarely gave its fans a lot to cheer about.
“I want to be looked at as a team that should come in and win a championship, not just be in the picture, not just be in the running,” Young said in late April. “I want to come into the season as a team that people look at it and say they can win, they’ve got a chance. That’s my whole focus and my whole mindset.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
