Getty Zach LaVine dribbling the ball.
After losing in five games to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers could look to revamp their roster. In a proposed trade from Jackson Caudell of Sports Illustrated, they’d make a blockbuster trade involving the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls.
The trade would send Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine to the Lakers for nearly all of their assets.
Hawks would receive: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Lakers 2024 1st round pick (No. 17 overall), and Lakers 2030 1st round pick (unprotected)
Lakers would receive: Murray and LaVine
Bulls would receive: D’Angelo Russell, AJ Griffin, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Cam Reddish, 2025 1st round pick (From Atlanta via Sacramento, protected 1-12), and a 2025 2nd round pick via the Lakers
“For the Lakers, this might be the best chance for them to really maximize their window with James and Davis,” Caudell wrote on June 22. “They would not have to give up every 1st round pick in the process and add two talented players while keeping Reaves.
“With Donovan Mitchell potentially re-signing with Cleveland and if the Hawks decide to move Murray instead, Murray could be the top player on the trade market. It feels like the Bulls are going to have a hard time trading LaVine, but the Lakers could buy low on him.”
Murray and LaVine Trade Rumors
The Los Angeles Lakers have had an interest in Murray and LaVine over the past few seasons and could pursue both during the offseason.
Appearing on an episode of the “Pat McAfee Show,” Shams Charania said that Murray “makes sense for the Lakers.”
“One name they did pursue last season at the trade deadline that I think teams around the league expect to come up again in trade conversations over the next week or so, and makes sense for the Lakers, is Dejounte Murray with the Hawks,” Charania said on June 21.
He added that Los Angeles has “maintained a level of interest” in him over the last several months.
“The Lakers have maintained a level of interest in Dejounte Murray over the last several months,” Charania said.
LaVine doesn’t have the same trade value that he once had. According to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, he’s now viewed as a “negative asset.”
“LaVine is now widely considered to be a negative asset, and the Bulls have been reportedly floating more than a dozen LaVine trade ideas to other teams. The question now isn’t whether or not the Bulls want to trade LaVine. It’s whether or not they will be able to,” Quinn wrote on June 21.
If his trade value is low, the Lakers could make a trade for him and hope that he returns to form.
How Murray and LaVine Would Help the Lakers
A backcourt featuring Murray and LaVine would offer two players who can create their own shots and score at a high level.
LaVine only appeared in 25 games last season, but in the 2022-23 campaign, he averaged 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He shot 48.5% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range on 7.1 attempts per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers shot the fewest 3-point shots in the NBA per game, so LaVine would be a positive addition in that department.
Murray averaged 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists last season. He shot 45.9% from the field and 36.3% from 3-point range on 7.1 attempts per game. While his defense has taken a hit in Atlanta, Murray was the 2021-22 Steal Champion and made the All-Defensive second team earlier in his career.
If he could give the Lakers high-level defense similar to how he did in the earlier stages of his career, Murray could be a great fit on both ends.