The NBA trade deadline is about two and a half weeks away. There have been many trade rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers, and they reportedly have an ample number of trade targets they’re interested in.
But at this point, they clearly have one top trade target: Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. The Lakers and Hawks have reportedly talked about a possible trade and even discussed a possible framework that includes starting guard D’Angelo Russell.
However, the Hawks don’t seem to be very interested in taking back Russell; in fact, they initially asked for Austin Reaves, whom L.A. is reluctant to give up.
According to Shams Charania, L.A. and Atlanta are looking for a third team to be involved in a possible deal in order to re-route Russell (h/t Lakers Nation).
"The Lakers are doing their due diligence. Dejounte Murray, Bruce Brown Jr., Tyus Jones, Terry Rozier, I'm told those are names to keep an eye on."@ShamsCharania on the Los Angeles Lakers.
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— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 22, 2024
“The Lakers and Hawks did have some pretty extensive conversations about a Dejounte Murray trade a couple weeks ago. They were centered around D’Angelo Russell, a 2029 first-round draft pick and a pick swap, I’m told. The holdup was that Atlanta wanted to find a third team for D’Angelo Russell. He’s got a player option for next season, they want to find a spot where they might be able to get an expiring contract back.
“I would expect the sides to circle back as we get closer to the February trade deadline. But listen, D’Angelo Russell, the last five games, I think we need to give him credit for the way he’s playing, 27 points a night, six assists per game, about five 3s per game as well. His splits are unbelievable, 56% from the field over the last five games. He’s gotten a lot of flack over the last month or so, he’s been in and out of the starting lineup. He’s back in the starting lineup now and has played at a really high level for the Lakers over the last five games.”
While Russell has been playing very well lately, an argument could still be made that Murray would be an upgrade. Murray is averaging 21.1 points and 5 assists a game while shooting 47.1% from the field and 38.2% from 3-point range so far this season, and he has a reputation as a fine defender and a speed demon.
