The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling to keep up with the Western Conference this season. They can’t blame injuries anymore, as most of the lineup outside Gabe Vincent has been healthy and available for the last few weeks. It seems like the team may just not be good enough to beat the best in the West anymore. A trade seems to be looming over the franchise, with links to both Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray.
Given the inconsistencies of the Lakers’ supporting cast, they could find a way to package the right players and send them to the Hawks and Bulls respectively to try and land both players instead of having to pick one. It’ll exhaust their resources in a major way.
Atlanta Hawks Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)
Chicago Bulls Receive: Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, 2030 First-Round Pick Swap (LAL)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray
This trade sees the Lakers get the two guards they think can remedy the issues they’ve faced this season, especially on the offensive end. The Bulls and Hawks get out of the long-term contracts they have to pay to these out-of-favor players while getting additional depth in multiple players to keep their heads above water.
The Hawks End Their Experiment With Dejounte And Trae Young
The Hawks went all-in on the acquisition of Dejounte Murray in the summer of 2022, sending the San Antonio Spurs three first-round draft picks after Murray came off an All-Star season and the franchise prepared to tank for Victor Wembanyama. He hasn’t resembled his All-Star or All-Defense self with the Hawks so far, with it looking increasingly clear that his partnership with Trae Young will not thrive to make them championship contenders.
Moving Dejounte and landing three players could be a better use of their resources. An unprotected 2029 pick from the Lakers is among the most valuable draft assets that any team can offer given the long-term uncertainty for the franchise with 39-year-old LeBron James. Acquiring D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent gives the Hawks depth at guard and more options to run in the backcourt, with Russell bringing an offensive focus and Vincent doing the same for defense.
Jalen Hood-Schifino is a young asset with a high ceiling. Whether the Hawks can find space to develop him or not is a different question, but they can definitely extract value from him as a trade asset at any point during his four-year rookie contract.
The Bulls Find Their Win-Now Trade To Move Off Zach LaVine
Nothing that the Bulls have done in the last three seasons indicates that they’re a team willing to hit the reset button. They want to become a playoff threat in the East again, but they won’t get there with the duo of LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. With the Bulls finding a purple patch in form with LaVine out of the lineup, it’s clear that they could compete for a playoff spot in the East provided they traded LaVine for the right pieces.
Austin Reaves is the right piece, as he’s averaging 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists this season. He could share a backcourt with breakout star Coby White while also being a complementary weapon next to DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
The addition of Rui Hachimura gives them a formidable starting five with White, Reaves, DeRozan, Hacimura, and Vucevic. Hachimura is averaging 11.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. They also maintain players like Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso, allowing them to be competitive this season and even fight for the sixth seed.
The Bulls haven’t shown an indication that they want to nuke their team and accumulate draft picks. They want to continue building towards a winning project, and this deal helps them do that while also making their future look brighter.
The Lakers Trade Depth For One Of The Best Starting Fives In The NBA
If the Lakers were to find a way to pull this deal off, they’d rival the Boston Celtics claim of having the best starting lineup in the NBA. Maintaining LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster while adding two All-Star caliber players in LaVine and Murray would be a major win for the Lakers. Even with the depth they’re trading away, a fully healthy Lakers lineup would be hard to beat.
LaVine averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists before being sidelined with injury this season, while Murray is averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in a down year. There is risk involved with both these acquisitions but would go a long way in allaying the offensive woes that have plagued the Lakers this season. They have an offensive rating of 112.9, among the bottom five in the NBA.
The offensive potential of a LaVine and Murray backcourt would be immense, especially with LeBron and AD also being 20-point scoring threats. This allows the Lakers to return to starting Jarred Vanderbilt for his defense. James has already shown he’s willing to cede responsibility if someone is willing to pick it up. This trade has the potential to go wrong but is promising on paper.
The Title Race In The NBA Shifts To The West
Right now, there look to be three definite championship threats in the NBA. The East has the Celtics and the Bucks while the West is relying upon a healthy Nuggets. The depth in the West is incredible this season, which means no team will match the kind of records that teams at the top of the East. This trade firmly puts the Lakers in that conversation as well.
The complementary skill-sets that these players bring would be hard to compete against. AD is still a DPOY-level defender, while LaVine can be one of the most electric scorers in the NBA. Murray could be one of the best defensive guards in the NBA if he can rediscover the grit he played in San Antonio with as compared to the unmotivated version we have seen with the Hawks. LeBron can do everything and can have free-range to continue playmaking with both LaVine and Murray having strong off-ball traits.
The Bulls and Hawks remain competitive in the East by adding depth through these deals, as well as a pick each. This may be the deal that could lead to a brighter future for all three franchises.
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