Dejounte Murray denies rumored trade to the Utah Jazz but we're not buying his denial

In today's age of news, it's hard to know what you're hearing is the truth. So much of what we see is propaganda disguised as news and lies that are reported to be rumors. We know that pro sports general managers lie all the time, it's part of the job. It's seen more as gamesmanship, but it can also be seen as just dishonest business practices. We also know athletes lie all the time, usually for the sake of their own ego, but sometimes for far grander reasons.

The reality is oftentimes hard to believe. Like, who would've thought that Kevin Durant once had a burner account where he'd defend himself to fans on the internet? Completely happened. Or who would have believed that Karl Malone once tried to openly flirt with Kobe Bryant's wife? But it happened.

Sometimes athletes don't like the reports that are put out about them, whether it's true or not is up in the air. Yet if you're an All-Defensive caliber guard and there's a rumor that you nearly got traded for a struggling rookie, but the team wouldn't part with said rookie, that may be challenging to hear. Why would a team not want an elite-caliber player? Why would they have more faith in the rookie who didn't shoot 40% and was one of the worst defenders in the NBA?

That's a huge blow to the ego. So of course when news broke that Dejounte Murray was nearly traded to the Utah Jazz for Keyonte George, until the Jazz said no, that Murray would deny it almost happened. That is exactly what Murray did on Twitter/X recently, denying the trade nearly happened with a pretty weak reply.

it's possible that Murray asked Atlanta Hawks GM Landry Fields if the rumor was true, and it's possible Fields told Murray a lie. It's possible he told him the truth. Yet, for my money, I wouldn't trust either of them. It's not in their best interest to tell the truth. On one hand, you have a star player basically being traded for pennies on the dollars; that's a blow to the ego. On the other hand, you have a key piece of your team's future asking if you nearly traded him for a player, not on his level; of course, you're not going to risk his happiness by telling him the truth.

Now, that's all speculation but that's more than likely what happened; Murray heard the rumor, asked Fields if it was true, and Fields said now, and there you go, the aforementioned tweet above.

Yet, the one person whose entire reputation would be killed by lying is the man who broke the story, KSL's Ben Anderson, who reported recently that the Jazz balked at the trade for Murray if it included George. I believe Anderson. I believe him wholeheartedly because he's the only one with an obligation to tell the truth.