During this past season’s trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers made an attempt to trade for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a deal, however, as the Hawks wanted Austin Reaves to be part of the deal, something the Lakers were unwilling to do.
Now in the offseason, the Lakers are again looking for ways to improve the roster and once again Murray’s name has come up as a potential target. It makes sense as he is a talented two-way player who could help the Lakers significantly, but they could run into the same issue as the last time these two sides engaged.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Murray is once again a trade possibility for the Lakers, but the franchise’s stance on not including Reaves in a potential deal has not changed:
Murray, meanwhile, was a player that the Lakers could have had at the February trade deadline if they’d been willing to put Reaves into the deal. He’s a possibility now, as well, but league sources say the Lakers’ stance on Reaves remains the same.
The Lakers have viewed Reaves as a keeper for the past couple of seasons and for good reason. Reaves has proven to be an extremely reliable player for the team who can operate as a primary creator and off the ball while also being willing and able to take on a big defensive role as well. If the Lakers are going to move him, it would have to be for a true superstar.
The question now is whether the Hawks have softened their stance on Reaves needing to be in the deal to make it happen. The Lakers will have multiple draft picks to offer in a potential Murray trade, but whether that will be enough to get a deal done is unclear as there could be other teams offering more.
The Lakers’ front office is committed to improving the roster this summer and Murray would represent an upgrade. But the Lakers have not changed their stance on wanting to keep Reaves around and as of yet, no deal has come about to force them to.
Agent believes JJ Redick will unlock ‘different part’ of Austin Reaves’ game
Austin Reaves likely doesn’t want to be anywhere else other than the Lakers as well, especially after the team’s hiring of JJ Redick as a head coach. Reaves and his team are fans of Redick and feel the new coach will help in Reaves’ development significantly.
Reaves’ agent Aaron Reilly recently revealed this on social media, saying that Redick will unlock a ‘different part’ of Reaves game that the people haven’t seen yet. And any leap Reaves makes next season will greatly improve the Lakers overall.
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