The Los Angeles Lakers are actively pushing to trade multiple players.
This season hasn’t gone the way they expected, so they want to make sure to right the course of the campaign while they still can.
With that in mind, they’ve reportedly identified Atlanta Hawks star PG Dejounte Murray as their main trade target.
There’s only one problem with that.
According to a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic, all trades for Murray would have to be centered around D’Angelo Russell, and the Hawks aren’t interested in his services (via Run it Back and NBA Central).
Apparently, the Hawks are looking for a third team to send the former No. 2 pick to.
Atlanta wants to find a 3rd team to take on D’Angelo Russell in order to complete a Dejounte Murray trade with the Lakers, per @ShamsCharania
“It centered around D’Angelo Russell, a 2029 first round draft pick, and a pick swap I’m told. The hold up was that Atlanta wanted to… pic.twitter.com/jVFvmlKw0Q
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 22, 2024
Russell has been balling out since going back to the starting lineup, averaging almost 28 points per game.
He’s been one of the few bright and consistent spots on offense for Darvin Ham’s team, yet that hasn’t been enough to appease the trade rumors.
Whatever the case, most people would agree that Dejounte Murray would be a significant upgrade over him, and he’s also represented by Klutch Sports, just like LeBron and Anthony Davis.
The trade deadline is closing in, and Murray is heavily expected to be moved.
Now, it’ll be up to Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers to find another team that’s willing to absorb Russell’s contract, or they might get outbid by other of the many bidders.
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