Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Dejounte Murray has been tied to the Lakers in some trade rumors as of late, with there being plenty of rationale for the Washington product to make his way to LA.
That said, there are tons of questions about if LA can put together a sufficient package for the 6-foot-5 combo guard, as salary and fit issues would plague both the Hawks and the Lakers, potentially sparking the need to involve a third team, assuming LA doesn’t want to give up Austin Reaves in a deal.
In spite of the Lakers’ potential asset shortcomings, reports suggest that whether to LA or elsewhere, Murray is primed to be moved by the deadline.
Other suitors in the picture include the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, with the former of which having far more to offer than the Lakers (especially when considering fit with Hawks cornerstone Trae Young), while the latter has less to offer than LA.
Certain Western Conference teams that I could also see entering the fold include the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors, as all of those teams could benefit from Murray’s playmaking, shot creation, and defense.
OKC has questions into the long-term regarding the role of Josh Giddey at shooting guard, while Sacramento lacks consistent perimeter scoring outside of De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk (who comes off the bench). Golden State is in need of help anywhere and everywhere, with Murray being a much better version of what they thought Chris Paul could’ve been, assisting in the facilitation of the offense, adding value on the defensive side of the ball, and operating as a solid second creator.
LA is drastically outbid by those 3 teams (and offers worse assets pertaining to fit with Atlanta), along with the Knicks, making their play at Murray a lot less likely than it originally seemed. Other names have also been linked to LA, however, including Zach LaVine, Gordon Hayward, and more, with the heart of trade season just around the corner.
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