Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine's Top Landing Spots After Terry Rozier-Kyle Lowry Trade
The list of prospective suitors for the Atlanta Hawks' Dejounte Murray and Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine continues to narrow.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday the Miami Heat are acquiring guard Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported on Jan. 11 the Heat were among the teams to reach out to the Hawks about a Murray deal ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Miami reportedly had much less interest in a move for LaVine.
Now, we can take the Heat off the board entirely as a candidate for either player.
With that in mind, here's how the market is looking for Murray and LaVine.
Dejounte Murray
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The Los Angeles Lakers continue to stand out as the obvious suitor for Murray.
Action Network's Matt Moore reported Sunday he's "most likely their top target," and ESPN's Dave McMenamin followed up Tuesday to write he "remains in the conversation" for Los Angeles.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer detailed the Philadelphia 76ers' interest in Murray and his fit with the team, and they may have eclipsed Los Angeles in the Murray sweepstakes before Tuesday.
The Sixers could choose to pivot toward Lowry, with Wojnarowski reporting the Hornets are expected to pursue potential trade avenues. Lowry might be a downgrade, but the cost associated with acquiring him could make him a more sensible short-term target.
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported the Milwaukee Bucks are in the mix for Murray as well, but there has been little else linking the two parties since then.
Even more so than the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs might be the most fascinating candidate for the 27-year-old. There's no chance his arrival would catapult the last-place Spurs into the playoff race, but he could do wonders toward Victor Wembanyama's development and help to set the table for the future.
But the Lakers continue to lead the pack in terms of being a contender that needs to take a big swing and seemingly having the assets to work out a deal with Atlanta.
Zach LaVine
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The Lakers could really use some help for the second half of the season, but it won't be coming in the form of LaVine.
McMenamin reported the two-time All-Star "is not considered an option at this point" for Los Angeles, and Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times was unequivocal about the team's lack of interest in him as a standalone asset:
Likewise, Philly may not be an option after he was floated as a possible target in the fall. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Jan. 17 on FanDuel TV's Run It Back the Sixers didn't appear to be "engaged" in a hypothetical LaVine trade:
On LaVine broadly, Moore reported "there's increasing expectation of him remaining in Chicago."
The fact is, it's tough to see a team realistically stepping up to the plate between now and the trade deadline.
His production is down a bit this season. He's averaging 19.5 points on 45.2 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent on threes. The 28-year-old has missed 20 games as well and is currently nursing an ankle injury. Topping it all off, the Bulls have a higher net rating when he's off the floor.
Add it all together and staying in Chicago is increasingly the most likely outcome for LaVine in February. Maybe he plays well enough down the stretch to rebuild his market ahead of the offseason.
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