The third game of the Los Angeles Lakers’ road trip took them to Atlanta to face the Hawks. The contest saw the Lakers get an up close look at a player they have been linked to with the trade deadline coming up in Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, who faced off with the player whom the Lakers would almost certainly part with in any hypothetical Murray trade in point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Murray put on a show as he finished with 24 points and nine assists while Russell had his worst game in weeks, shooting just 3-of-11 from the field in the Lakers’ 16-point loss. The defeat put the Lakers back below .500 and furthered speculation on the franchise potentially making a big move at next week’s deadline.
Players tend to try and ignore the rumors, but there is little doubt that both Russell and Murray are aware of all the chatter. And after the game, the two shared a moment together on the court and had a conversation, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
D’Angelo Russell and Dejounte Murray sharing a moment postgame (with a cameo from Austin Reaves) pic.twitter.com/cRbMzqjtWy
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 31, 2024
In fairness, the two could have been talking about any number of things unrelated to all of the trade rumors. But them having a bit of an extended conversation is sure to pique the interest of many. The Lakers clearly need to make a change and Murray is a young, athletic point guard who would provide a lot of what the team needs in the backcourt.
Russell has been outstanding over the past month, but his contract makes the most sense to be included in any hypothetical deal. The fact that he waved his no-trade clause upon re-signing with the Lakers this past summer only makes it more likely he will be moved.
It might be nothing, but at this time of year, everything will be analyzed. Until the trade deadline passes, Murray and Russell will be two of the most watched names for potential deals and they very possibly could be in the same one.
Regardless of whether a deal happens are not though, it is good to see that both Murray and Russell are remaining professional and don’t appear to have any animosity towards each other.
LeBron James posts hourglass tweet following Lakers loss to Hawks
With things again seeming to go downhill for the Lakers, the frustration is beginning to build for LeBron James. The superstar made it clear on social media that it is about time for some changes to be made.
Just hours after the Lakers’ loss in Atlanta, LeBron posted an hourglass emoji on the social media platform X, which would seem to signal that time is running low and the Lakers need to make a move very soon to save this season.
With only one week until the trade deadline, the Lakers are sure to be the most watched team during this time.
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