Insider: Lakers Rejected Rival’s Request for $54 Million Starter in Trade Talks

The Los Angeles Lakers stood on their long-rumored position regarding trading Austin Reaves.

Amid all of the trade rumors surrounding the team this season, Reaves has remained essentially untouchable in trade talks. While that has been the Lakers’ stance, we have a new report of them holding firm.

Despite their interest in Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray, the Lakers were not willing to give up Reaves in a trade to acquire him.

“The Lakers have been arguably the team most linked to Murray due to his representation at Klutch Sports, the agency for various Lakers on the current team,” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto wrote on January 18. “The Hawks coveted Lakers guard Austin Reaves in trade talks surrounding Murray but were denied by Los Angeles, league sources said.”

Reaves, 25, re-signed this past offseason on a four-year, $53.8 million contract.

He is averaging career-highs with 15.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.9 steals this season. He is shooting just 35.1% from beyond the arc on the year. But he has knocked down 60% of his deep looks over the last four games.

Part of his resurgence has been his reinsertion into the starting lineup.

Reaves opened the season as the starter. But he struggled defensively during the team’s rut and Head Coach Darvin Ham relegated him to a bench role.

The Lakers are 2-0 since Ham went back to the original starting lineup.

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Lakers Could Have Trouble Meeting Hawks’ Asking Price

The Hawks are seeking two first-round picks for Murray, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor on January 15. Scotto adds that the Hawks do not want to bring back any salary past this season, which is where things get complicated for a Lakers trade.

LA has access to its 2029 first-round pick and can swap picks in 2030. If they wait until the offseason, and more specifically draft night, they can also trade their 2031 first-rounder.

Their options are more limited ahead of the trade deadline on February 8.

“Any framework for a Murray trade to the Lakers would likely involve guard D’Angelo Russell,” Scotto wrote. “However, that would be contingent on Russell being flipped to a third team from Atlanta in the process.”

Russell’s $18.7 million player option for the 2023-24 season is part of the issue for the Hawks as it is for other teams, hurting the Lakers guard’s trade value.

His fit alongside Hawks star Trae Young is also poor; neither is strong defensively.

“How else could Los Angeles get to Atlanta’s asking price of two first-round picks? Perhaps rookie first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino could be included in trade talks if they advance further,” Scotto continued. “But it’s worth noting Atlanta chose Kobe Bufkin over him in the draft months ago.”

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LeBron James, Anthony Davis Speak on Lakers Trade Rumors

An anonymous rival player called the Lakers out for overburdening James this season, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on January 17. But LeBron James isn’t looking to assert his influence on the Lakers’ front office.

“I don’t play fantasy basketball,” James told reporters on January 17. “It’s just too disrespectful to be thinking about what we need or what we don’t have. I don’t do that to my teammates.

“We’ve been putting in the work, and that’s what we got to continue to do.”

Anthony Davis, who has noted the Lakers’ injuries this season, has touted the talent in the locker room.

“We haven’t been completely healthy,” Davis told reporters on January 16. “We’ve been in games a lot this year. But we’ve been having a lot of injuries, which is always tough. The times we were healthy – completely healthy – we played great basketball. So we know what we can be. But I think we just got to get healthy fully healthy.

“I like our team. I like what we doing. … We got to continue on that path.”

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