NBA insider Chris Haynes identified why the Atlanta Hawks likely wouldn’t trade Dejounte Murray to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“As for the Los Angeles Lakers, player of interest as well for them, Dejounte Murray. But, any type of deal centered around Dejounte Murray, it would have to be Austin Reaves,” Chris Haynes said. “You would think Austin Reaves would be a part of that. Rui Hachimura would probably be in it. And for Atlanta, that just wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t be enough. So, Lakers, they have interest, but the problem with the Lakers is they need more pieces that’s gonna be attractive for the Atlanta Hawks.”
Murray is in his second season playing for the Hawks franchise after spending the first six seasons of his pro career with the San Antonio Spurs, who drafted him in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft.
In 33 games played with the Hawks so far during the 2023-24 regular season, Murray is averaging 20.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from behind the 3-point line.
He is fresh off a solid performance in Atlanta’s victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 3. The 27-year-old dropped 22 points, six rebounds and six assists across 35 minutes of playing time.
The guard starred against the Thunder, but he didn’t lead the Hawks in scoring. Jalen Johnson scored 28 points while shooting 11-of-18 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. He also chipped in seven rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Atlanta’s win over the Thunder marked the team’s second win a row. Before beating Oklahoma City, the Hawks beat the Washington Wizards by four points on New Year’s Eve.
But the Hawks still own a mediocre 14-19 record on the season, which is the 10th-best record in the Eastern Conference at the moment. Atlanta is also four-and-a-half games back of the New York Knicks for the No. 8 seed in the conference.
Haynes outlined why it’s unlikely that the Hawks would trade Murray to the Lakers, but his playmaking and scoring chops would make him an intriguing fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
James and the Lakers will aim to put an end to their losing streak when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Friday night. While the Grizzlies own just the 13th-best record in the Western Conference, they have been playing better of late, as evidenced by their 5-5 record over their last 10 games.
