Brad Stevens has made a habit of bringing in players who torched the Boston Celtics. We saw that this summer when they signed Mitchell Robinson and traded for Paul George. Murray, to some degree, fits under the same umbrella, and now he's officially requested a trade. Boston could get in on that, but in his case, being a Celtics killer is not enough.
For more context, anyone who remembers Banner 18 probably remembers the night Murray single-handedly led the Hawks to an overtime victory over the Celtics thanks to a magnet ball that got him 44 points.
Murray is an All-Defense recipient (though it's been years), a one-time All-Star (four and a half years ago), and can put up some gaudy numbers. Many have been clamoring for Boston to get another scorer. He hasn't had a great season, but there's a solid case to be made that he's a victim of New Orleans' dysfunction.
Mazzulla Ball has been thriving this season. Murray's defense, playmaking, and size could add to it. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.
His teams haven't won a thing
Murray's numbers have been impressive in the past, though, in all fairness, he hasn't been putting up the same numbers he did in San Antonio and Atlanta. Making it look worse is that at best, his teams have been average. The most success he's experienced as a player was, ironically, when the Hawks faced the Celtics.
He has been unlucky to some degree, and not just because he landed in New Orleans. He broke his hand shortly after the Pelicans acquired him; they then fired the executive who acquired him (David Griffin) and the coach he was supposed to play for (Willie Green), and to top it all off, he tore his Achilles against Boston of all teams.
There's a case to be made that the problem was the teams he played for, not him, but we have no definitive proof. The risk is not knowing whether his impressive numbers in the past never led to anything worthwhile because the team construction was flawed, or if the numbers themselves were simply empty calories.
That's not even the biggest concern.
He would cost Derrick White
Beyond the irony of the two of them once being teammates with the Spurs, Boston doesn't have many salaries to match in a trade for Murray outside of White. The Celtics have no reason to put Paul George in trade talks, given how phenomenal he has played, and if Mitchell Robinson were the biggest contract going back, they would have to add more, like Sam Hauser and others. A lot of foundation is going out for a guy whose fit with the team would be questionable.
That's why, if the Celtics really considered this, the deal would likely be Murray straight-up for White. White's three-pointer hasn't come back, but he's still a proven winner and a fit for this team. He doesn't take shots away from George or Jayson Tatum.
Murray can put up better numbers, but that could come at the cost of team success. Boston doesn't want just talent, but guys who fit the program. No one's saying Murray wouldn't be a fit, but he wouldn't justify the high cost of White.
Sure, Murray would be better than the likes of Jordan Walsh, but trading for him raises too many questions, including whether acquiring him really vaults Boston to title favorites. Buying low on him isn't a terrible idea, but we know too little about his true effectiveness to justify a deal.
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