D'Angelo Russell, Dejounte Murray's Top Trade Landing Spots After 2024 NBA Draft
Depending on whether or not a player like Donovan Mitchell becomes available, the trade market for point guards this summer could be lacking in star power.
This would make players like D'Angelo Russell and Dejounte Murray even more valuable in talks.
Of course, Russell may not even be available for the Los Angeles Lakers to trade. He has an $18.7 million player option that must be decided on by Saturday. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported in April that Russell is "likely" to opt out of his deal and become a free agent.
Since Russell is still technically under contract with the Lakers, we will consider him a trade candidate.
Top Potential Landing Spots for Russell
- Orlando Magic
- San Antonio Spurs
- Charlotte Hornets
Most of the trade buzz from the Atlanta Hawks right now is centered around Trae Young, but there's an argument for Murray as the more attractive player for other teams because of his ability on both ends of the court.
Top Potential Landing Spots for Murray
- Los Angeles Lakers
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
As teams continue to map out their plans for the offseason, we will take a closer look at the top potential trade destinations for Russell and Murray if either or both gets moved.
Top D'Angelo Russell Landing Spots
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There are few teams in the NBA who need a point guard more than the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs.
Russell would solve two big problems for the Magic because he's also a good three-point shooter. The 28-year-old connected on 40.6 percent of his attempts from behind the arc in 147 games over the past two seasons. He's also averaged more than 6.0 assists per game in five of the last six seasons.
Orlando tied for the fewest three-pointers made per game (11.0) and were tied for 23rd in three-point percentage (35.2) last season. The Magic haven't had a player average at least 6.0 assists per game in a season since Elfrid Payton in 2017-18 (6.3 in 44 games).
The Spurs will be connected to virtually every point guard who might be available this summer. Head coach Gregg Popovich tried using Jeremy Sochan at the position to start last season and it didn't work out. Tre Jones developed a solid connection with Victor Wembanyama, but he's not a high-volume shooter despite being efficient with a 50.5 field-goal percentage last season.
The Hornets don't necessarily need another point guard, but they may want to build in an insurance policy given the injury issues that have plagued LaMelo Ball. He has only played a total of 58 games over the past two seasons combined.
Charlotte had success taking a point guard and using him at the two-guard position with Terry Rozier playing alongside Ball. Rozier was having his best offensive season prior to being traded to the Miami Heat before the trade deadline.
Top Dejounte Murray Landing Spots
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The Lakers likely wouldn't have to do much homework on Murray since they were one of the teams that reportedly made an offer to the Hawks for the veteran guard prior to the trade deadline in February.
Given what is known about the uncertainty around Russell's future with the Lakers, they have every reason to keep an eye on what the Hawks are going to do with Murray.
Murray has averaged at least 20.0 points and 6.0 assists per game in each of the past three seasons. He's never been a great three-point shooter, but he connected 36.3 percent of the time on a career-high 7.1 attempts per game.
The Lakers need another primary ballhandler who is capable of taking some of the pressure off LeBron James, assuming he returns to the club either by opting in to his $51.4 million salary for next season or signing a new contract. Murray has the ability to do that, as well as providing solid perimeter defense if he were to end up in Los Angeles.
If the Pelicans are going to trade Brandon Ingram, which seems like a growing possibility, they will need to add a player who can replace his offensive production if they want to have a shot at competing for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Even if New Orleans was to keep Ingram, the team could stand to bring in a true point guard. CJ McCollum has handled the job admirably since being acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers, but he's better suited to playing the two-guard spot.
Murray had to shift to shooting guard when he was acquired by Atlanta because Trae Young already had the point locked down. Adding him to a nucleus that features Zion Williamson and Herb Jones would give the Pelicans a foundation that could be good enough to move them out of the play-in mix and into the top six in the Western Conference.
The 76ers seem likely to turn over every stone in order to add a third star-caliber player to their roster with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. They are almost certainly going to aim very high to start the offseason, with a player like Paul George potentially being a primary target if he leaves the Los Angeles Clippers.
Murray would be a consolation prize for the Sixers, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't significantly help them in their quest to get over the hump in the playoffs. Having him as their third scoring option in a postseason series instead of, say, Tobias Harris would make them much more formidable against the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
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