ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks, despite allowing the most points per game in the NBA and struggling to remain above the cutoff line for the play-in tournament, did not make a move before the league’s trade deadline Thursday afternoon.
There was much speculation the Hawks would consider a trade involving shooting guard Dejounte Murray, who alongside Trae Young forms a high-scoring backcourt that has produced plenty of points but not a winning record. General manager Landry Fields, speaking a day after the deadline came and went, said no offer fit the team’s long-term goals.
“I think we’ll know when it’s time to move on from from players,” Fields said Friday. “And we’ll know when it’s time to bring in somebody new. But obviously right now that wasn’t the time. This was not the time.”
Fields assumed control of daily operations when team president Travis Schlenk stepped down on Dec. 21, 2022. About two months later, Quin Snyder was hired as coach to replace the fired Nate McMillan.
The Hawks finished the 2022-23 season at 41-41, eighth in the Eastern Conference, and lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs after escaping the play-in tournament. Atlanta entered Friday 10th in the East, which represents the final spot in the play-in tournament.