2-time Lakers champ disappointed team doesn’t want to include Austin Reaves in trade for Dejounte Murray

Jesse Cinquini
3 Min Read
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers two-time champion Lamar Odom seems disappointed that the team reportedly doesn’t want to trade Austin Reaves as part of a deal for Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray.

Odom won titles with the iconic Lakers franchise back in 2009 and 2010. The Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in five games in the 2009 NBA Finals and Boston Celtics in seven games in the 2010 NBA Finals

The 44-year-old then went on to win the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2010-11 season, his final season with the Lakers. He appeared in all 82 games for Los Angeles during that regular season and averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 53.0 percent from the floor.

Murray, 27, has been connected to the Lakers in recent trade rumors. He has arguably been Atlanta’s second-best player behind only Trae Young so far during the 2023-24 regular season. Murray is averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from behind the 3-point line in his second season with the Hawks franchise.

The guard is fresh off of an excellent two-way performance against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Across 36 minutes of playing time, Murray dropped 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds, five assists and two steals in a game the Hawks won by two points.

The Hawks picked up their second straight victory with their win over the Magic, but at just 17-23 on the season, Atlanta could be in jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs after earning the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference a season ago. The team lost to Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

While Murray’s talent on both ends of the floor makes him an attractive trade target for the Lakers, Reaves is enjoying arguably the best year of his pro career in his third season with the Lakers. He is averaging a career-high 15.1 points per game to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest in 42 games played thus far.

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Jesse is a sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA. He has worked as a staff writer covering the Lakers’ dreaded rivals, the Boston Celtics, for SB Nation. He has also covered the New York Knicks for The Knicks Wall.