The Atlanta Hawks will face the Boston Celtics tonight without a key piece. Dejounte Murray has been officially listed as ‘Out’. He has faced several lingering health issues over the past few months. Bogdan Bogdanović will probably start in his place. Another important fact to note is the trade rumors.

Atlanta has been looking to move the terrific guard for the right price. So, this sudden turn of events might be a way to keep the 27-year-old healthy before a potential trade move.

Although the Blackhawks have all the pieces they would need to put together a contending team, they haven’t had much success. Atlanta now sits in 10th place with a 22-28 record in the East. A below .500 team. What should have been a dream team with 3x All-Star Trae Young and one of the league’s best two-way guards, Dejounte Murray, didn’t work out the way the team thought they would.

While there have been glimpses of solidarity, there isn’t consistency. And consistency is what any team with title aspirations will be looking for. Looking at the team’s stats this season, it’s highly unlikely they can stage a comeback as serious contenders. So, the question now moves to whether it would be smart to let go of Murray based on a “what could be” situation.

Is trading Dejounte Murray the answer to the Hawks’ struggles?

Georgia gave up quite a bit when they got Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in the wake of a rebuild. But as mentioned above, the pairing of Murray-Young didn’t exactly work out, nor did it pay much dividends. The individual records are comforting, and that’s where it ends.

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Cutting Murray out now would ensure a decent return, but nothing close to what they had to give up for the man in question. While the front office seems to be okay with that, their head coach has a different opinion. According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, “League sources say Coach Quin Snyder has lobbied the Hawks to keep him.” His reason was simple – despite all the outside noise, Murray has been playing well. Not to mention, the manageable contract he currently is on.

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The 2016 draft pick is averaging 21.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game this season. That is a steady record of improvement. From a coach’s viewpoint, giving up an All-Star caliber player when there’s still a playoff chance is not something he would give his assent for.

Is tonight’s absence synonymous with Murray’s permanent absence from the State Farm Arena? We won’t have to wait too long for the answer.

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