NBA Trade Rumors: 5 teams that can rescue Dejounte Murray from the Hawks
How the Los Angeles Lakers can rescue Dejounte Murray
Murray to the Lakers
The Lakers are at an inflection point. They are 25-25 with a minus-1.2 net rating, and that’s with LeBron James and Anthony Davis being healthy and playing at an incredibly high level. There are two courses of action for the Lakers. Go all-in while you still have two top-15 players, or start trading players for future value.
Despite rumors that the Lakers are shopping LeBron James, let’s assume the Lakers are smart enough to realize that you don’t punt on a season where you have two healthy All-NBA quality players. A move for Murray would be an instant upgrade to their roster. He’s better on both ends of the court than Russell, and, should he regain some of his defensive motivation, the Lakers will finally be able to play their four best players (James, Davis, in this case, Murray, and Austin Reaves) without having a leaky perimeter defense.
Hawks fans were seen chanting, “We don’t want you,” while D’Angelo Russell was shooting free throws in Atlanta, but what if he came with a Lakers’ unprotected 2029 first-round pick and 2026 first-round pick swap? Many of the same problems that reared their head with the Murray-Young backcourt pairing are there with Russell and Young, but the big difference is no one is under the illusion that Russell is a long-term co-star.
Russell is under contract for an expiring $18.7 million next season, which makes him a relatively tradable asset. Armed with a premium Lakers’ pick, the Hawks could shop Russell and Clint Capela in the offseason to make significant upgrades to their roster. Even if they can’t find a suitable trade, they still get off the four-year, $114 million left on Murray’s contract.
The Hawks are sure to push hard for Austin Reaves’ inclusion in the deal, but they can’t get too cute with it. Murray is owed $18.2 million this season in the final year of an extension he signed with the Spurs, but that figure shoots to $25.5 million next season. Once the 2024 trade deadline passes, trading Murray will be more onerous and likely net a lower return.