Lakers Hawks close to Murray trade: Framework has been exposed Finding a third party for Russell is a major obstacle

On January 23, Beijing time, according to Shams of the Athletic, the Lakers and Hawks are close to reaching a deal on Murray, and now the main framework has been exposed, and finding a third-party team for Russell is the main obstacle at present.

Finding a third party for Russell became a major obstacle

"A couple of weeks ago, the Lakers and Hawks did have quite extensive conversations about the Dejounte Murray trade," Shams said on the show. As far as I know, they're negotiating around Russell, a 2029 first-round pick, and a first-round swap. But the problem is that the Hawks want to find a third team for Russell. Russell has a player option next season and they are looking to find a team that can trade him back to an expiring contract. ”

Shams added: "I expect the two sides to continue negotiations as the February trade deadline approaches. Russell has been outstanding in his last five games, and I think we need to give credit to him for averaging 27 points per game, diching out six assists and making nearly five three-pointers in each game. His shooting percentage is incredible, with a 56% shooting percentage in his last five games. He's been under a lot of criticism over the last month or so and he's been in and out of the starting lineup. Now he's back in the starting lineup, and he's played at a very high level for the Lakers over the last five games. "

When retweeting Shams's remarks, the U.S. media believed that the Lakers really need to reconsider whether to trade Russell. After all, in the five games since returning to the starting lineup, his stats have been impressive: averaging 27.2 points and 6.4 assists per game, shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 53.7 percent from three-point range. Russell may have flaws on the defensive end, but his talent on the offensive end is unquestionable. Of course, if the Lakers decide that Murray makes more sense to them, they can launch a trade to find a third team to meet the Hawks' needs.

As the deal deadline approaches, negotiations between the two parties are expected to continue to progress. In yesterday's game against the Trail Blazers, Russell scored 34 points and 8 assists, but his mood was a little low and sad after the game, and the Los Angeles media speculated that Russell had a premonition that he was about to leave the team. Lakers legend Odom has advised the team to take Murray, no matter what the cost.

The Lakers are investigating four major targets

In addition, Shams also revealed four main targets that the Lakers are routinely investigating. In addition to the Hawks' Dejounte Murray, the Lakers are also interested in a number of other guards. "Dejounte Murray, Bruce Brown who was just traded to the Raptors, Tyus Jones, Rozier, I've heard all of these names are worth keeping an eye on," Shams said on the show.

Reports suggest that the Heat are not expected to pursue Murray and are exploring a trade for Lowry for a cheaper point guard. Haynes revealed on the show that he was told the Nuggets wanted to bring Bruce Brown back to the lineup, but they just didn't have enough draft picks to try and do that, which is something to watch for the future.

Brown played for the Nuggets last season, helping the team win their first championship in history. In the offseason, Brown left the Nuggets and signed a two-year, $45 million contract with the Pacers (with a team option for the second year). He was sent to the Raptors by the Pacers in a trade for Siakam.