Don't go! Goodbye Lakers! Officially missed the opportunity to join forces with James to win the championship
It's arguably an open secret that the Lakers want to make a blockbuster deal before the trade deadline to complete their plan to bring in a third star. The reason is simple, after a poor regular season record, Pelinka is counting on a turnaround in free agency to replicate last season's miraculous comeback. Last season, the Lakers were able to start with a 2-10 record and only a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs, and finally made it to the Western Conference Finals through a trade. So why not this season?
But the Lakers' reinforcement plans ahead of the trade deadline didn't go well this season! The reason is simple, every potential big trade they are involved in asks for Austin Reaves, which makes it difficult for the Lakers. They have a good chance of trading for Bulls star Zach LaVine, but the price they pay will have to be to send Austin Reaves, which obviously makes Lakers general manager Pelinka retreat. Because the Lakers see Rivers as close to not for sale, unless they can trade him for All-Star partner James Mei, they will never send Reaves away.
In the unsuccessful pursuit of Zach LaVine, the Lakers targeted Hawks All-Star guard Dejounte Murray again. Currently, the Hawks, who are planning to rebuild, have already opened their supermarkets and are tradable for all teams except Trae Young. Rumor has it that they would even trade Trae Young if they could, as long as the chips were reasonable. This undoubtedly gives the Lakers a chance! Dejounte Murray, as a guard produced by the Spurs, he will naturally be favored by the Lakers. If Dejounte Murray can be traded smoothly, then the Lakers are likely to take off on the spot!
According to previous reports, the Lakers' offer for the Dejounte Murray trade is: Russell + a 2029 first-round pick + a first-round swap right. The Eagles were not particularly interested in this offer, but they also did not refuse. The premise is that a third-party team has to come out and take over Russell's remaining big contract. After all, Russell is not a good fit for the rebuilding Hawks! This means that once a third-party team joins in enthusiastically, then Dejounte Murray will be just around the corner when he joins the Lakers!
But what the Lakers never expected was that Dejounte Murray's current trade status suddenly changed, and the Hawks decided not to trade Murray anymore, but decided to keep him in Atlanta to continue to partner Trae Young. According to Stein of The Athletic, another interesting situation has emerged regarding a potential deal for Dejounte Murray. Hawks head coach Quinn Snyder has lobbied the team to keep Dejounte Murray, according to sources. This also means that the Lakers' plan to introduce Dejounte Murray is going to fall through in advance! As a result, the all-round guard who can average 21.4 points, 5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season will officially miss the championship with James!