The Los Angeles Lakers continue to hover slightly under .500 as the exact midway point of the season approaches, and they have almost no time left to turn things around.
While their roster is almost assuredly better than their 19-20 record would suggest, they do need help in order to stabilize things and compete better with the good and great teams across the NBA.
The two potential trade targets people are talking most about are the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks. LaVine’s huge contract and defensive deficiencies would complicate a potential deal for him, but Murray seems to be a player who could realistically help L.A.
After losing by 18 points to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, the Lakers reportedly may ramp up their efforts to land Murray. In fact, Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday on ESPN that they have had some talks with Atlanta regarding the one-time All-Star guard.
“Atlanta is ready to trade Dejounte Murray. Dejounte Murray is a player they are engaged around the league with, and they’ve talked to the Lakers and exchanged some ideas on a potential trade.”
-Woj said he expects him to get traded 👀 pic.twitter.com/4Y35AE0HfM
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) January 12, 2024
Murray is the type of two-way guard who could give L.A. that proverbial shot of adrenaline, not to mention actual talent and skills. He’s putting up 21.1 points and 5.0 assists a game, and he has greatly improved his 3-point shooting this season.
The 27-year-old is also regarded as a plus defender, and he possesses the type of speed in the open court that the Lakers need, as the one aspect of the game they currently excel in is transition offense.
