New Lakers Dejounte Murray Trade Rumor Emerges
By Jovan Alford
With the Los Angeles Lakers slipping in the Western Conference standings, fans are growing impatient as the team went from In-Season Tournament champion to potentially being in the play-in tournament later this season.
Last season, we saw the Lakers retool their roster as they acquired D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, and Rui Hachimura ahead of the trade deadline, which paid off as Los Angeles made it to the Western Conference Finals.
Fast forward to this season, and we shouldn’t expect multiple massive trades for the Lakers, but they are interested in one player who will be a major addition to their backcourt.
Lakers News: Los Angeles Submits An Offer For Dejounte Murray
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that the Lakers submitted an offer for Atlanta Hawks point guard Dejounte Murray on Tuesday. The deal would involve starting vet point guard D’Angelo Russell, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, and draft compensation.
Siegel adds that The Athletic’s Jovan Buha was the first to report that said trade package was “rapidly” turned down by Atlanta as they don’t want Russell in exchange for the two-way point guard.
It doesn’t come as a surprise to see the Lakers active in trade discussions for Murray, as he would be an immediate upgrade on both ends of the floor over Russell. This season, Murray is producing 21.0 points, 5.1 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game. He’s also shooting a career-high 46.9% from the field and 38.8% from three-point range.
The 27-year-old Murray can play off the ball and be that additional ball handler/floor general that the Lakers need. Nevertheless, it’s hard to see any team reportedly giving up two first-round picks and a “key talent” for Murray, even though he has a very team-friendly contract.
It will be interesting to see if the Hawks budge on their asking price for Murray or if the Lakers go elsewhere to seek upgrades in the backcourt. The Lakers are currently long shots to win the West (+2000 on FanDuel Sportsbook), so whatever move they make must be a needle mover.
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