The Los Angeles Lakers have been strongly linked with Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray for weeks now, and a pathway for them to acquire him has now been put forth. As per NBA analyst Jake Weinbach, the Lakers could land Murray by involving the Brooklyn Nets in this trade.
“The Lakers, Hawks, and Nets could engage in a three-team deal that would send Dejounte Murray to Los Angeles, D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn, and Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first via LAL, and additional draft compensation to Atlanta. That’s a realistic scenario at this juncture.”
The Lakers, Hawks, and Nets could engage in a three-team deal that would send Dejounte Murray to Los Angeles, D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn, and Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 first via LAL, and additional draft compensation to Atlanta.
That’s a realistic scenario at this juncture.
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) January 25, 2024
It has been reported that the Hawks do not want D’Angelo Russell and are not interested in acquiring a player who is on a long-term deal either. In this potential trade, they would land Spencer Dinwiddie, who will be a free agent in the summer.
The Hawks also recuperate some of the draft capital that they lost when they traded for Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in 2022. They had hoped that the backcourt of Murray and Trae Young would take them to new heights, but it hasn’t worked out. They are currently 18-26 on the season, and you wonder if a full-blown rebuild might be on the cards in the near future.
As for the Nets, they would get an upgrade on Dinwiddie in Russell. After a solid 12-9 start to the 2023-24 season, Brooklyn has fallen apart to drop to 17-26. Russell could help turn things around by providing a significant boost on offense.
The downside of this trade for the Nets would be that they would lose some financial flexibility. With Dinwiddie’s contract getting off their books, there would be plenty of directions they could go in during the coming offseason.
If the Nets bring in Russell, who has a player option worth $18.7 million for 2024-25, they would lose that flexibility. They would have to hold the 27-year-old in high enough regard and believe in him as a key piece to their puzzle, to get involved here.
If the Nets do and this proposed deal goes through, the Lakers would get their man and Murray would be an intriguing fit in Los Angeles alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The 27-year-old is averaging 21.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game this season while shooting a respectable 38.7% from beyond the arc.
Murray would also be an upgrade on the defensive end at that guard spot over Russell, despite not being the elite defender he once was. It does make sense to add a player of his profile, but I’m not sure his arrival alone would transform the Lakers, who currently sport a 23-23 record this season.
Dejounte Murray Is The Priority For The Lakers
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha recently made an appearance on the HoopsHype podcast, where he stated that Murray is the priority for the Lakers right now.
“They’re weighing the pros and cons of what it would take to actually get this deal done,” Buha said. “But from my understanding, Dejounte is their priority right now. That to me, would be the most likely trade outcome right now if I was handicapping the odds. They’re the favorites to land him.”
Buha said the hurdle is finding that third team in this trade and the longer that takes, the greater the chance that someone else swoops in and lands Murray. We saw the Miami Heat seemingly being in pole position to land Damian Lillard all offseason, only for the Milwaukee Bucks to get him instead.
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