(Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
With the Los Angeles Lakers falling back under .500 after an embarrassing blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on national television, the pressure is on the front office to find a fix.
The Lakers have cratered toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings since winning the NBA In-Season Tournament and are no longer considered a sure-fire playoff team.
Despite strong showings from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Los Angeles is struggling on both ends of the floor and is running out of time to turn things around.
As a result, the Lakers have been linked to several of the hottest names in the trade market.
One player worth monitoring is Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray who is reportedly generating significant interest around the league.
Murray’s been linked to Los Angeles and it appears they’ve already been in contact with Atlanta on a potential trade via ESPN.
“The Lakers and Hawks have engaged in trade discussions revolving Dejounte Murray.”
BREAKING: The Lakers and Hawks have engaged in trade discussions revolving Dejounte Murray, via ESPN.
Atlanta is “ready to trade” Murray for the right value. pic.twitter.com/9CIGSwF48z
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 12, 2024
The Hawks traded a haul of draft picks to land Murray from the San Antonio Spurs, but because the Lakers are short on first-round picks they would almost certainly have to include Austin Reaves in any sort of deal.
Los Angeles has four first-round swaps and either their 2029 or 2030 first-round pick to deal in addition to salaries like D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Reaves.
So far, the Lakers have been reluctant to include Reaves in any deal but all options need to be on the table for the team.
Perhaps Atlanta could expand the deal to include another useful player with long-term money still owed, but for now the situation bears monitoring.
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