The Los Angeles Lakers have been widely linked to Dejounte Murray from the start of the season, with rumors easing off as we enter February 5. The trade deadline arrives in three days and the Lakers will feel the pressure to make a move after their 26-25 run.
According to Jake Fischer, while appearing on ‘The Saturday Stein Line with Marc Stein‘, only two teams have made formal offers for Murray. The Lakers are joined by the Utah Jazz in this trade saga.
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“The only teams I’ve really heard actual offers about have been from the Lakers and Utah.”
Fischer elaborated on the challenges of the Lakers completing a Murray trade this winter, as the Hawks still want a bigger package coming their way.
“And the Lakers just don’t have a clear obvious package that’s going to give the Hawks the picks they want, the player they want—a player who doesn’t have what’s considered to be like bad long-term salary. And the Lakers get two more extra first-round picks to play with once the calendar flips over to next season come draft time.”
D’Angelo Russell will be on an expiring contract in the summer while the Lakers can also include their 2031 first-round pick after the season ends. But what would the Jazz be offering to rival the Lakers?
Collin Sexton and D’Angelo Russell aren’t far apart in value, but the Jazz have a heap of draft picks that they can hand out. They could easily use their picks to entice the Hawks into accepting their offer, but it’ll be interesting to see how many they can actually offer.
Will Dejounte Murray Be Dealt In The Next Three Days?
The Atlanta Hawks are in no rush to move off Dejounte Murray unless they can upgrade their roster. Fischer also discussed how it’s a 50-50 bet while looking at whether Murray will be traded before the deadline or not.
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“I’m starting to think it’s closer to 50/50 than we thought all along. The Hawks have always said to me whenever I’ve checked on it, ‘You know we don’t have to trade him.’ Which is what they did with John Collins for three years. So if we’re taking them at face value and their past history, and they don’t get their price point for him, I do think it’s possible he sticks around [in Atlanta].”
The Hawks wasted a lot of value by holding onto John Collins for far too long and they could find themselves in a similar situation with Murray if they stubbornly keep holding onto him. But if his market is just featuring two teams, the Hawks are better off waiting until the summer when more teams have not only new picks to offer but more flexibility in overall roster construction.
If the Jazz are legitimate contenders in Murray trade talks, I think they can easily outbid the Lakers by offering more draft picks and higher-value young players. But a 2029 Lakers first-round pick is probably the most valuable in the NBA right now given their aging roster and lack of picks to rebuild with after the LeBron James era has passed.
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