Pelicans, Hawks Updated Rosters, Salary Cap After Rumored Dejounte Murray Trade
June 28, 2024
The Atlanta Hawks have traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The Hawks received Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks in return, Charania reported.
Here's a look at the updated rosters and salary cap situation for each team following the trade.
New Orleans Pelicans Depth Chart
- PG: Dejounte Murray
- SG: CJ McCollum
- SF: Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones
- PF: Zion Williamson
- C: Jonas Valanciunas
The trade leaves the Pelicans with a total cap of approximately $208.9 million ($67.9 million over), per Spotrac.
Atlanta Hawks Depth Chart
- PG: Trae Young
- SG: Vit Krejci
- SF: Zaccharie Risacher
- PF: Jalen Johnson
- C: Clint Capela
The trade leaves the Hawks with a total cap of approximately $187.8 million ($46.8 million over), per Spotrac.
The Pelicans may need to find a replacement for Valanciunas, who is a pending unrestricted free agent.
The most pressing question for the Pelicans, however, centers around Ingram. With his contract set to expire following the 2024-25 season, will he remain in this starting lineup to play alongside Murray?
Although Ingram has been the subject of frequent trade rumors this offseason, with the Hawks as a potential suitor, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported after the Murray trade that the Pelicans "are trying to find common ground" with Ingram on an extension.
The Pelicans also "remain committed" to keeping Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum on the roster, Wojnarowski noted.
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnNew Orleans was 0-24 when trailing entering the fourth and 2-14 in close games and see Murray as a player who can generate offense late in games. Pels remain committed to core that includes Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. Pels are trying to find common ground with Brandon Ingram…
Hanging on to this star-studded core will put the Pelicans up against the hard cap under the new CBA, per Yossi Gozlan of CapSheets and ESPN's Bobby Marks:
Yossi Gozlan @YossiGozlanDejounte Murray has a 15 percent trade bonus worth $12.1 million. It raises his cap hits through 2027 each by $3 million.<br><br>His $25.3 million salary for 2024-25 will be adjusted to $28.3 million.<br><br>The New Orleans Pelicans are now hard capped to the $178.7 million first apron.
The Hawks are still hard capped at the second apron, but the Atlanta front office gained some wiggle room under the luxury tax threshold by moving Murray, per Gozlan and Marks:
Yossi Gozlan @YossiGozlanThe Atlanta Hawks create some more payroll flexibility ($7.6 million below tax).<br><br>They can also create a $18.2 million trade exception. This would require absorbing Larry Nance Jr. and Dyson Daniels into their $23 million John Collins trade exception, which expires on July 6. <a href="https://t.co/lgFYAt3Hp8">https://t.co/lgFYAt3Hp8</a>
Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42Impact in Atlanta <br><br>Larry Nance Jr. is entering the last year of his contract- $11.2M<br><br>Dyson Daniels has 2 years left- $6.1M and $7.7 (team). <br><br>Atlanta has 13 players under contract <br><br>Below the tax: $7.6<br><br>Below 1st apron: $11.7<br><br>Below 2nd apron: $21<br><br>Atlanta is hard capped at the…
The Hawks remain in a difficult position due to the picks they gave up to the San Antonio Spurs as part of their original trade for Murray. Any hopes of a full rebuild will be hurt by the fact that each of Atlanta's next three first-round picks could go to the Spurs.
