When you’re the Los Angeles Lakers, you can never settle for being anything but the best. Darvin Ham’s team certainly qualified for that title on their way to winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, but aside from that, the Lakers have been anything but the best this season.
Yet, the Lakers are still in the fight, battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. However, they also entered NBA games today sitting a full eight games back of the top-seed, showing they still have plenty of room for growth.
With just under a month to go until the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline, the Lakers have more than enough time to improve their roster, and there’s one name they’ve been linked to via trade.
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Los Angeles Lakers discuss Dejounte Murray trade with Atlanta Hawks
Los Angeles Lakers trade rumors are swirling, and several different big names have been linked to joining LeBron James. This includes the likes of Zach LaVine, but the Lakers don’t want a one-dimensional player who specializes in scoring.
Instead, the Lakers have discussed a potential trade with the Atlanta Hawks for 2021-22 NBA All-Star Dejounte Murray, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Dejounte Murray is the player that they’re engaged around the league with,” Wojnarowski said. “They have talked to the Lakers. They’ve exchanged some ideas on a potential trade.”
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski on Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of Dejounte Murray
This sounds great, but there’s a reason the trade hasn’t been completed yet, right? In reality, the Lakers may have a harder time getting the Hawks to agree to trade their All-Defensive point guard to Los Angeles, due to a lack of trade capital.
“They want to get some value back for him,” Wojnarowski said. “You look at that Lakers roster and you see what of value do they have that can compete in the marketplace.”
In other words, the Hawks may find a different trade partner who is willing to present a better offer than what the Lakers can currently present.