FILE – Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) looks to pass during the first half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract extension with guard Dejounte Murray, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Friday.
The deal preserves his Hawks backcourt pairing with Trae Young and keeps Murray on the roster for five years, through the 2027-28 season, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the extension has not been announced.
Murray hinted at the agreement on his Twitter account when he posted late Thursday “ATLANTA. Been Locked In From The Moment Y’all Accepted Me” and added ” LOYALTY OVER EVERYTHING Let’s Gooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
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 helped to clear cap space for the extension on June 26, when they traded forward John Collins to the Utah Jazz for veteran forward Rudy Gay and a conditional 2026 second-round draft pick. Collins is guaranteed $25.3 million in the 2023-24 season. Gay, 36, is due approximately $6.5 million.
On Friday night, the Hawks officially announced the Collins trade, which creates a $25.3 million trade exception for Atlanta. The exception, currently the largest in the NBA, can be used to acquire a player in a future deal within a year.
“Being able to create financial flexibility moving forward was a major priority for us,” Hawks general manager Landry Fields said in a statement released by the team. “The added flexibility will give us greater optionality as we look at opportunities to improve our team.”
The extension was especially important for the Hawks following their significant commitment to Murray. On June 29, 2022, the Hawks traded Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks to the San Antonio Spurs for Murray.
Murray, 26, averaged 20.5 points and 6.1 assists for the Hawks last season, creating the high-scoring backcourt duo with Young that was expected. Even so, the Hawks suffered another first-round loss in the playoffs following their midseason firing of coach Nate McMillan and the hiring of Quin Snyder as his replacement.
The Hawks finished 41-41, again unable to regain the promising form they showed when they advanced to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.