Lakers Rumors: LA Involving Pieces of Possible Dejounte Murray Trade in Other Talks

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly using the pieces of a potential Dejounte Murray trade package to explore other potential deals, per Anthony F. Irwin of the Lakers Lounge podcast.

"With just a little under two weeks to go before the deadline, the Lakers have started pursuing other avenues with the pieces that they would be utilizing in that Dejounte Murray trade," Irwin said.

Although Los Angeles' front office hasn't ended the pursuit of the Atlanta Hawks point guard ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline, it appears that the team is exploring alternate avenues to upgrade the current roster with assets that were previously offered for Murray.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported on Jan. 19 that the Lakers and Hawks discussed the framework of a deal that included D'Angelo Russell, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2029 first-round pick, and additional draft compensation in return for Murray. Talks have stalled since, although they could pick up again prior to Feb. 8.

One of the potential reasons for the trade failing to happen is Atlanta's reluctance to bring in Russell, who has a player option worth roughly $18.6 million for the 2024-25 season (via Spotrac). Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer revealed on Friday that the Hawks are "searching for a better player return than Russell" and are not interested in taking on the remainder of his contract.

It makes sense that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka isn't interested in playing the waiting game, with his team struggling to stay consistent over the past few weeks. Los Angeles currently holds the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference with a 23-23 record, which is a troubling sign for a group that made the conference finals in 2023.

Russell could be a former Murray trade piece that gets moved, as the 27-year-old has considerably raised his trade value after he re-entered the starting lineup on Jan. 13. In seven appearances since, the former first-round pick is averaging 27.4 points and 6.6 assists per game while hitting 53.1 percent of his 9.1 three-point attempts each night.

It isn't hard to imagine the Lakers having another busy trade deadline, even if Murray ultimately isn't moved.