Dejounte Murray Trade Rumors: Lakers, Knicks, 76ers Among Expected Suitors for Guard

The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons are expected to discuss a Dejounte Murray trade with the Atlanta Hawks, according to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

Fischer reported the Hawks guard "has generated a substantial market during preliminary conversations around the league."

The Hawks are sitting outside of a play-in tournament position at 15-21. After suffering back-to-back first-round playoff exits, Atlanta could miss the postseason altogether. That's forcing the front office to ask some difficult questions and weigh major changes.

On Jan. 5, Fischer reported the team was "open for business" ahead of the trade deadline. Beyond that, the Hawks were signaling to prospective suitors Trae Young and Jalen Johnson were their only "untouchable" players.

NBA insider Marc Stein filed a similar report the same day and said the impression was that Atlanta is prepared to "build around Trae and Jalen Johnson."

Individually, Murray continues to perform well. He's averaging 21.1 points and 5.0 assists, and he's shooting more efficiently (46.6 percent overall and 39.4 percent on threes) than he ever has.

But the backcourt tandem of he and Young isn't translating into wins.

Thanks to the four-year, $114.1 million extension he signed, Murray's impending free agency is no longer hanging over the organization. The likelihood of seeing out that deal in Atlanta—or even getting to the point where it kicks in—is growing slimmer by the week, though.

Beyond his poor fit alongside Young, Murray is also a positive trade asset for the Hawks. There's almost no chance they can fully recoup what they sent out to the San Antonio Spurs, but they should be able to collect a meaningful return.

Fischer's newest report highlights how multiple bidders should be coming to the table, which will allow general manager Landry Fields to get pieces that either help the franchise now or can be packaged down the road for a big upgrade.