Where Do Trae Young, Dejounte Murray Rank Among NBA's Top Backcourts After Trade?

The Atlanta Hawks made a huge trade with the San Antonio Spurs a day before the NBA's free-agency period started.

All-star guard Dejounte Murray is going to be traded by the Atlanta Hawks to the San Antonio Spurs. The Hawks are sending a first-round pick to Charlotte in exchange for the Spurs' two first-round picks in the 20th and 25th century. The pick swap will take place in the year 2026.

Lowe said the picks would be protected.

Atlanta is getting a 25-year-old All-Star and putting together what may be the best passing duo in the NBA in exchange for him. In assists per game, Young and Murray were both in the top four.

Is the move going to vault this backcourt into the top 10? We don't know if the ball-dominant guards will coexist.

In the wake of the big move, let's reexamine the top 10 by looking at past performance, opining on how we think newly assembled backcourts will fit together and how they will develop and deploy plenty of subjectivity.

Predicting the future requires more than just numbers on a screen, but can be guided by statistics from the past.

This duo is not higher because we have a complete wild card.

There's no way to know how many games Ben Simmons will play with Kyrie Irving because he doesn't know how to be classified.

Simmons missed all of last season due to an injured back, and was looking for a trade from the 76ers. Since joining the Nets, Irving has averaged just 34.3 appearances.

The on-court fit is intriguing and the raw talent is up there with any backcourt.

One of the most dynamic offensive threats is Kyrie. He has averaged 27.1 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 threes while shooting 40.6 percent from three in Brooklyn. He was a champion, multi-time All-Star and something of a cult hero due to his flair as a ball-handler and finish.

Simmons might be the perfect backcourt complement with his ability to take on more difficult defensive assignments and willingness to defer to Irving.

The backcourt might not survive the off-season. Mike Conley may be available for a trade. It makes sense because of the size and defensive limitations of he and his teammate.

The Utah Jazz are one of the most dynamic offenses in the league.

Utah has scored 118.6 points per 100 possessions and hit 38.9 percent of their three-point attempts when they are on the floor. The division of labor is well established.

Mitchell is one of the league's most dynamic pick-and-roll attackers, and Conley, who spent most of his career as a primary ball-handler, has accepted more of a floor-spaced role

Mitchell was fourth in total possessions used as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and he ranked in the 88th percentile for points per possession. He hit 41.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point attempts.

Few backcourts have a higher offensive ceiling than the one they have.

The first look at this duo was short because of an injury to Lonzo Ball. We will not get another look if LaVine leaves.

For the purposes of this exercise, we'll assume that he comes back.

It was easy to appreciate the fit between Ball and LaVine last season, even though we didn't have a lot of games to watch.

One of the league's most thoroughly pass-first games is one of the qualities of the former.

He's a better fit with a slasher like LaVine because of his improvement as a spot up shooter. Ball has hit 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts over the last three seasons.

Over the last four seasons, LaVine has averaged 25.2 points per game and has dished out at least four assists in every season.

DeMar DeRozan's arrival reduced some of LaVine's usage, but he didn't complain. It's a recipe for success if you have multiple creators and defenders who are willing to play for each other.

Some of the criticism of James Harden may be overblown.

He looks a bit bigger and slower than he was at the peak of his powers, but he is trying to get into better shape, according to recent reports. Harden was third in the league in free-throw attempts per game and second in assists per game.

He could continue to average 21, 10 and seven, as he did after he was traded to Philly, and a lot would suggest that he's not the same player he once was. The three of them are still elite.

Harden and Maxey are almost certainly headed the other way. The 21-year-old averaged 17 points and 1.7 threes while shooting 42% from three.

Early returns suggest that the games of the two meshed immediately. With both having the ability to get to the rim (Maxey as a slitherer and Harden as a battering ram) and hit from the perimeter, the 76ers were plus-12.8 points per 100 possessions.

It isn't good to lose a great player. No one can get around that.

Chris Haynes reported that he'd still meet with the Dallas Mavericks when free agency opens, but it seems like he's headed to the New York Knicks.

Dallas has one of the best back courts in the league. Luka Doncic makes a difference for you.

Luka will be one of the game's top players for a long time. He would be half of a potent back court.

Spencer has shown that he is more than just a good guy.

He averaged 30.4 points per 75 possessions when he was on the floor. In the long run, he can do more than his numbers show.

It looks like he will be able to do that this season.

The Celtics won the defensive win shares. Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown finished in the top 15 in their respective categories.

They can defend a lot of perimeter players. The switchability of each was a key ingredient.

Their value wasn't solely derived from that part of the floor.

Smart had a career-high 5.9 assists per game when he was the starting point guard.

Brown's struggles as a ball-handler came up over and over during the playoffs, but he remains a dynamic slasher, high-flyer and catch-and- shoot option. He has been a 20-point-per-game scorer for the last three seasons.

He has a lot of time to improve his ball security. If he does, this group could go up. The Celtics were plus-12.1 points per 100 possessions when Brown and Smart were on the floor. The starting backcourt has a lot to do with that.

Do you think fourth is the right word? Is this already happening? We haven't seen them play a second together.

It's hard to ignore the potential of Young and Murray together.

Young and Murray finished eighth and 13th, respectively, if you divide every player who logs 500+ minutes by their ranks in 10 catch-all metrics from around the internet. In 2022-23, they'll be 24 and 26.

The ceiling is just as high as any pair here. It might take some time to find the right fit.

Both Murray and Young are in the top 10 of a couple statistics that show ball dominance. Someone will have to do something. 48 minutes is how long the games are. One ball is all that's left. Next cliché here.

Both are very good passers. The sheer numbers are huge, and that ability may need some refining, but it's a big one. Young and Murray both averaged 9.2 dimes per game.

Those are willing to share.

What Murray can do defensively could be even more intriguing. Young has been criticized for his work on that end. Murray is a great backcourt defender.

He'll be the obvious choice against bigger guards, but he can take on both assignments, saving the easier ones for Trae.

Young might be able to score more points in transition. Young can take off down the floor for easy buckets when Murray ends the possession instead of coming back for the outlet pass.

There are a lot of questions to be answered but the potential is great.

TheMemphis Grizzles are young and talented. All three of those boxes are checked by the backcourt of Ja Morant and the others.

August is Ja's birthday. There is a person who is 24 years old. The sting of this postseason's loss to the Golden State Warriors could motivate the development of this year's team.

The youngsters will have to work hard to back up the trash talk they are giving to the champ.

One of the game's most dynamic killers is Morant. He can get to the paint in a matter of seconds. He can finish over everyone once he's there.

That game and the one before it complement each other well as well. His biggest strength is likely to be floor spacing. Through two seasons, he's hit 42% of his threes. A high-volume, high-efficiency shooter with a driver like Morant makes for a strong offense.

The Phoenix Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals but they should still be considered a threat in the West.

Chris Paul is one of the game's greatest creators. He averaged a league-best 10.8 assists last season and he can still engineer possessions in a way no one else can. In a pinch, he can get to a mid-range jumper.

Watching him play is similar to watching Greg Maddux play into his late 30s. His knowledge and precision have never been better, even though he has lost a bit of his speed.

He has made the leap from a bad team guy to a star.

He just finished his fifth straight season with an above average true shooting percentage and scoring average, but the more dramatic improvements happened on the other end.

Booker used to be a perimeter defender. He died on ball screens or fell asleep off the ball. He can be trusted in switch heavy schemes now that he fights on defense.

Booker was named to the First Team All-NBA this season. The Suns are plus-9 points per 100 possessions when both are on the floor.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are back on top of the league's hill, but getting the top spot is more than just winning their fourth championship.

Curry is 34 years old and can still reach the top. He scored 32.0 points per game last year. He scored 31.2 points, 5.2 threes and 5.0 assists in the most recent Finals.

Klay averaged 20.8 points and shot 38.5% from three over the last 44 appearances. By the end of the Finals, his defense against Jaylen Brown and the rest of the Celtics was a game-changing factor.

Thompson should be even stronger in 2022-23 because of a full off-season. They should be able to push for Bryant's fifth title.