Every offseason is important for the Los Angeles Lakers, but this one is especially important because LeBron James is looming as a possible free agent and going into his 22nd season next fall. With a limited championship window, win-now moves need to be made, and Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray could be one of those.
This is due to Atlanta possessing the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and is rumored to be pondering a new direction as a franchise. Murray and his running mate, Trae Young, are bound to be put out on the trade market to gauge their value.
At last season’s trade deadline, L.A. attempted to trade for Murray but could not come to terms on a deal. However, Shams Charania of The Athletic believes the Lakers will circle back once again this summer with hopes of being able to get it done this time via Pat McAfee Show:
“That’s why the pressure is on the Lakers front office to make major changes on the roster to an extent. Like you said, this team came up short this past year and when you think about JJ Redick and the principles he wants to implement, defense, point of attack defenders, versatile players… So, I think they’re going to look at that side of the ball and they have to be aggressive. One name that they did pursue last season at the trade deadline that I think teams around the league expect to come up again in trade conversations over the next week or so and makes sense for the Lakers is Dejounte Murray with the Hawks. That’s someone that you think about over the next week or so, what do the Hawks do? Not only with the No. 1 overall pick, but they potentially have a decision to make with Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, which player stays, which player goes. And the Lakers have maintained a level of interest in Dejounte Murray over the last several months.”
This makes sense for L.A. to pick up where they left off back in February with the hopes of bringing in a new look to their backcourt. Murray offers more defensive capabilities than D’Angelo Russell but could also fit better alongside Austin Reaves.
Changes need to be made. Last year’s roster was not enough to compete in a compact Western Conference, and acquiring Murray and another player or so via trade could go a long way.
Three-team trade involving D’Angelo Russell & Dejounte Murray was discussed with Nets & Hawks at deadline
A roadblock that became prevalent in trying to trade for Murray was that Atlanta did not want Russell. So, both teams needed to find a third team to ship Russell to and the Brooklyn Nets came into the picture to discuss a deal that ultimately did not work out.