If the Los Angeles Lakers want Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks, they must first pay for Austin Reaves.
That’s the opinion now that Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike discovered the Hawks’ asking price for Murray in previous trade talks with another team.
“NBA insiders said the Hawks, in their discussions with the Knicks, talked about a Dejounte Murray trade with Atlanta seeking Immanuel Quickley and a first-round pick,” Woike reported on the thirteenth of January.
The Hawks are looking to recuperate around what they spent on Murray one and a half seasons ago. Their previous executive office traded three first-round picks, two of which were unprotected, and an unprotected pick for Murray from the San Antonio Spurs, who are also looking to reunite with their former All-Star guard.
“If the cost of acquiring Murray is a first-round selection plus a win-now young player (the Raptors chose two of those guys in exchange for a first-round pick in their trade of OG Anunoby to the Knicks), the Lakers cannot fulfill it without Reaves. According to sources, no negotiations have taken place about trading Reaves,” Woike noted.
According to Chris Haynes of TNT/Bleacher Report, “The Lakers want to push the pace offensively and are interested in someone who can serve as a point-of-attack defender.”
Murray fits the mold.
Can the Lakers expand the Dejounte Murray trade if Austin Reaves is included?
If the Hawks insist on including Reaves in the prospective Murray trade, an NBA executive pitched ESPN’s Zach Lowe an expanded trade proposal.
“I had a [NBA] executive from another team spitball with me yesterday (January 11); might the Lakers, if Reaves is involved, structure a larger trade that includes Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovich, the sharpshooter they so desperately need? “Now that has to include Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, more draft compensation, and Jalen Hood-Schifino,” Lowe stated on “NBA Today” on January 12.
But pulling off such a complicated transaction is easier said than done.
“It just starts to get incredibly difficult, especially when the Lakers are already over the tax and approaching the hard cap, as Bobby Marks told me. These deals — the more guys you add to it, the more difficult they are to make — but for a player of Dejounte Murray’s caliber, I believe the Hawks will properly say we need Austin Reaves, and the Lakers will say oh, that doesn’t look great for us. “It’s a tough spot.”
Alternative Austin Reaves Trade
If the Hawks insist on a Reaves-Murray trade without receiving additional value, NBA front office insider Bobby Marks proposed an other trade possibility for Rob Pelinka.
“If I were the Lakers, I’d look into Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan, but you might have to give up Austin Reaves in that type of trade. DeRozan might be a free agent, and Caruso has one of the best contracts.”
DeRozan would provide the Lakers with a third scoring option, while Caruso’s return might help the team’s perimeter defense.
However, the Bulls have not specified whether Caruso is available.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist for Heavy who covers the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors. He has over 15 years of experience in local and international media, covering broadcast, print, and internet. He formerly reported on the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and currently resides in Jersey City, New Jersey. More on Alder Almo.
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