The Los Angeles Lakers‘ pursuit of former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray took another turn with only more than a week left until the February 8 trade deadline.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Atlanta Hawks are facing opposition from within their organization in a potential trade involving Trae Young’s backcourt partner.
“Another interesting wrinkle to emerge on the Murray front: League sources say Coach Quin Snyder has lobbied the Hawks to keep him,” Stein wrote in his substack newsletter on January 29.
A huge factor is Murray’s recent play for the Hawks, who are back fighting for a play-in spot. They will face the Lakers this Tuesday, January 30, with a crack at the 10th spot in the East.
“Murray has not only played well amid considerable trade noise — he recently drained game-winners in back-to-back games against Charlotte and Miami as captured in the video below — but also possesses a pretty manageable contract based on today’s standards. Next season will be Year 1 of a four-year, $114 million contract extension that takes Murray from $25.5 million in 2024-25 to a $31.5 million player option in 2027-28. This season Murray is averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game and flirting with a career-best success rate from 3-point range (38.8%) on a career-high 6.2 3s per game,” Stein wrote.
Lakers Cooling off on the Dejounte Murray Trade?
The Lakers appeared to have also cooled off on the idea of trading for Murray in the wake of D’Angelo Russell‘s resurgence.
“The Lakers were initially said to be willing to package Russell with a first-round pick in 2029 and a first-round pick swap in exchange for Murray — with Austin Reaves completely off limits. That pursuit appears to have been dialed back some with Russell playing so well,” Stein wrote in his January 28 substack newsletter.
Like Murray, Russell has played well amid the trade noise.
Russell scored 13 of his 23 points in the opening quarter of the Lakers’ 135-119 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday, January 29, that snapped their two-game losing streak. He was the only Lakers starter who showed up a fight in that first quarter where the Rockets established an early double-digit lead which they never relinquished.
Despite the loss, Russell is still averaging a solid 27.0 points and 6.2 assists while shooting 51.2% from the field and 50% from the 3-point line over his past nine games. The Lakers have outscored their opponents by 23 points in that span when Russell was on the floor, per Statmuse.
Anthony Davis Out, LeBron James Questionable vs Hawks
Anthony Davis will miss the second night of a back-to-back schedule due to a bilateral Achilles tendinopathy and left hip spasm.
LeBron James is questionable to play with a left ankle injury.
Davis only played 28 minutes against the Rockets as Darvin Ham sat him out in the fourth quarter. The Lakers All-Star big man finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
“A little sore,” said Davis about his groin injury he aggravated in their double overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on January 27. “I just couldn’t move how I usually move on both ends of the floor.”
Anthony Davis on his groin injury: “A little sore… I just couldn’t move how I usually move on both ends of the floor.”
Meanwhile, James also had 23 points and 10 assists in their losing effort against the Rockets.
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New Wrinkle Emerges on Lakers’ Pursuit of Dejounte Murray