What I’m hearing about Lakers’ trade deadline plans: The latest on Dejounte Murray and other targets
Jan. 15 kicked off the second wave of NBA trade season. The Feb. 8 deadline is less than three weeks away.
The Los Angeles Lakes will be one of the most interesting teams in the league over that period, as they have a track record of being aggressive at the deadline. No one within the organization is content with the team’s 21-21 start to the season. A move is likely.
The Lakers have three paths they’re weighing, according to team sources not authorized to speak publicly:
- Stand pat and retain their assets.
- Make a small-to-medium move, upgrading a rotation spot and/or filling a roster need.
- Make a more significant move, reshaping the rotation and adding a more notable contributor (or two).
As the Lakers learned in 2021 and 2022, it’s difficult to build a contender with three players on maximum salaries given NBA salary-cap constraints. The third star has to not only be worth the money, but also complement the team’s two best players. Russell Westbrook fell short in both regards, leaving the Lakers somewhat apprehensive about trying to recreate a three-star build.
The Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine is a much better fit than Westbrook, at least offensively, but there are legitimate concerns about his contract and injury history. Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray is on a much more manageable deal than LaVine, but he’s slipped defensively this season and has historically been a shaky shooter. The price for the Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen is too steep for Los Angeles. Pascal Siakam is now off the board after getting traded to the Indiana Pacers. It’s unknown if another star or star-adjacent player will emerge — at least one the Lakers can reasonably attain. (Even if, say, Cleveland makes Donovan Mitchell available, the Lakers don’t have the assets to trade for him.)
With all that said, let’s dive into some questions and topics that will dominate discussions over the next few weeks.
Are the Lakers likely to make a move?
Yes, though the magnitude of the move remains unclear.
For weeks, the Lakers were circling Jan. 15 as an important date to assess their roster. However, due to a combination of injuries and vacillating lineups, they have only now just settled on a starting group and rotation in which they are confident. Therefore, barring an unforeseen development, the Lakers plan to remain patient and use the next two weeks or so to continue that evaluation process before making a trade, according to team sources. Waiting may also drive down some of the asking prices for certain targets, as teams tend to overvalue their own players weeks out from the deadline.
The trade market has more buyers than sellers, which will likely drive up the price for quality starters and high-level role players, to say nothing of All-Star-caliber ones. The Lakers don’t want to just shake up their core, even with their disappointing first half of the season. They want to acquire difference-makers to address some of their glaring needs: 3-point shooting, perimeter speed, athleticism and better two-way play.
The Lakers’ recent surge has been important. There was a moment in early January when the season was trending toward being lost. Had that continued, the Lakers might have decided this group wasn’t worth further investment and stood pat at the deadline. But after wins in four of their last six games, including victories over West playoff contenders Oklahoma City, Dallas and the LA Clippers, that’s no longer the case. At a minimum, expect the Lakers to make a smaller move that bolsters their bench. On the opposite end of the spectrum, they could acquire another starter or two.
For the second time in as many games, coach Darvin Ham pushed back against the notion that the Lakers’ current roster needs reinforcements while simultaneously acknowledging there’s always room to improve.
“Again, everyone keeps talking about, it’s that time of the year, I guess, but with the trade talks, and again, everyone understands in this business that, if there’s opportunities to get better, you’re going to do that,” Ham said. “But the reality of it is, we have what we had down the stretch last year, as well as more firepower and guys who are a year closer and experienced in playing with one another. So, yeah, we can stop looking around and just look at ourselves, look within ourselves. It’s a ton of excellent basketball that we can play and a ton of games that we can win with this group as it is constructed.”
Which players are eligible to be traded?
The entire Lakers roster is eligible to be traded except for Anthony Davis, who becomes eligible on Feb. 6, and Jarred Vanderbilt, who can’t be traded this season due to the timing of his offseason contract extension.
As of Jan. 15, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are eligible to be traded. There was a misconception that D’Angelo Russell also could not be traded until Jan. 15, but that is incorrect. He’s been eligible to be moved since Dec. 15.
Are any Lakers untouchable?
Yes. James and Davis will not be traded.
Reaves isn’t technically untouchable, but he’s close. The Lakers value him highly and have no interest in trading him, according to team and league sources. He’s on a cost-controlled, team-friendly deal for at least two more seasons. For the Lakers to consider moving Reaves, they’d need to receive either a clear-cut All-Star — someone better than Murray or LaVine, for example — or multiple rotation upgrades, according to those sources.
Every other Laker is on the table (except for Vanderbilt, who again can’t be traded).
Which players are likely to be traded?
Any sizable deal would almost certainly have to involve Russell, who’s making $17.3 million this season and has a $18.7 million player option for the 2024-25 he will likely exercise. Russell waived his de facto no-trade clause when re-signing, which means the Lakers control if and where he’s traded.
Larger deals for any player or players making at least $30 million combined would likely require the inclusion of Rui Hachimura, who is making $15.7 million this season. He has two years and $35.3 million remaining on his contract after this campaign.
Gabe Vincent is making $10.5 million this season and $22.5 million over the next two seasons. He’s out at least another three to five weeks after left knee surgery.
Max Christie is a sneakily interesting asset. Smart teams view him as an underrated 3-and-D wing prospect. He’s still not even 21 years old. But the Lakers would prefer to keep Christie.
Rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino’s stock has dipped since the Lakers selected him with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 draft, but there’s still a mystery-box element to his future, as with any first-round pick barely halfway through his rookie season.
What will teams want from the Lakers?
The Lakers have two attractive assets to other teams: Reaves and one of their movable first-round picks (2029 or 2030, with most teams preferring the 2029 pick). The Lakers also have up to four years of swap rights (2026, 2028, 2029 and 2030). They have four second-round picks as well.
Almost any trade discussion starts with a team asking for Reaves and a first-round pick, according to team sources.
Christie is another popular request, but his impending restricted free-agency status makes him a trickier acquisition for some teams. Depending on one’s view of Hood-Schifino, acquiring him could be similar to receiving a first-round pick, given he’s only halfway into his rookie season.
Russell, Hachimura and Vincent are generally viewed as neutral-to-negative assets, depending on the team.
Who are realistic trade targets?
In addition to their obvious need for more 3-point shooting, the Lakers believe they have three positional needs at the trade deadline. In order of importance:
- Backcourt athleticism and speed — preferably with point-of-attack defensive capabilities.
- A two-way wing who slots in nicely next to James, Davis and Reaves.
- Another defensive-minded backup big man.
It’s going to be difficult to address all three needs with one move. Even two might not be possible.
LaVine and Murray have been the two most popular names associated with the Lakers in recent months. The LaVine chatter has died down in recent weeks, given the length and size of his contract affecting future cap flexibility. Los Angeles would still prefer to trade for DeMar DeRozan and/or Alex Caruso, as The Athletic previously reported.
The Murray buzz is only increasing — and to noisy levels. The Lakers and Hawks have discussed potential frameworks of a deal, including a version late last week that centered on Russell, Hood-Schifino, the 2029 first-round pick and additional draft compensation, according to multiple team and league sources. Talks have since stalled, but are expected to pick back up closer to the deadline.
If the Toronto Raptors decide to move on from Bruce Brown Jr., the Lakers will have interest in acquiring him, according to team sources. The Lakers coveted Brown last summer and believed they were the favorites to sign him using the team’s nontaxpayer midlevel exception before Indiana swooped in with a cap-space offer. (Los Angeles eventually signed Vincent with that exception.) Much like he was last summer, Brown will become one of the most coveted players on the trade market if he’s available. Of note: Because Brown was already traded from Indiana to Toronto in the Siakam deal, he cannot be combined with another player in a potential trade.
Other names that have come up in talks with team and league personnel over the past two weeks include Portland’s Jerami Grant, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier, Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. and Brooklyn’s Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale. Each player fills at least one of the Lakers’ three needs.
What are the Lakers’ financial and roster constraints?
As things stand, the Lakers are $1.26 million over the luxury tax. They are $4.9 million under the first apron, which means they can’t exceed that total if they take back more salary than they send out in a trade.
The Lakers have 14 players and can take back one additional player in a deal. If they make a multi-player deal and dip below 14 players, they’d have two weeks to get back to the league’s 14-player minimum.
