It is known that the Los Angeles Lakers are actively pursuing potential deals to make as the NBA trade deadline approaches. One name that they have been linked to for some time now has been Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray.
The Lakers’ interest in Murray makes sense as he checks a lot of boxes the team is looking for. He would improve their speed and athleticism in the backcourt, gives the team another scorer and creator, has shown he can defend at a high level in previous seasons and has improved greatly as a perimeter shooter.
While no deal has come to fruition yet, the Lakers are apparently pushing hard to get something done. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, L.A. has made the most aggressive offer for Murray, including their available first-round pick and a swap, but the Hawks want more in return than D’Angelo Russell:
The Lakers appear to have made the most aggressive known bid to date for Murray. Los Angeles has been willing to include a 2029 first-round pick plus a pick swap in its attempts to land the Hawks guard, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Atlanta is searching for a better player return than Russell, sources said, and the Hawks seem to prefer not taking back future salary, leaving the possibility for another three-team deal at the deadline that includes Russell — after he joined the Lakers by way of last February’s Utah-Minnesota-Los Angeles triple dip. Russell holds an $18.6 million player option for next season that will factor into any team’s decision to obtain the Ohio State product.
Even though Russell has been on an absolute tear recently, it isn’t enough to raise his trade value to a level that the Hawks would like, which makes finding a third team more of a necessity. And considering how aggressive the Lakers have been in trying to get the deal done, the front office will be exploring all options to get one involved.
Murray is the ideal add for the Lakers as he is just 27 years old and will be under contract for at least three more seasons, making him both a short term and long term investment for the Lakers.
Dejounte Murray and Bruce Brown at the forefront of Lakers trade talks
Dejounte Murray isn’t the only player the Lakers are pursuing aggressively as recently trade Bruce Brown is also a player the Lakers are targeting ahead of the trade deadline.
Recent reports stated that Murray and Brown are at the forefront of the Lakers’ target list and conversations on both players will continue up until the deadline.
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