Atlanta Hawks Receive: G/F Malik Beasley, F Jarred Vanderbilt, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL) 

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Dejounte Murray 

In fact, there are dangers in refusing to quit. Consider the Lakers a case study. 

When they acquired Russell Westbrook, plenty of people raised plenty of questions. Those questions were warranted. Why would pairing LeBron James with a non-shooting primary playmaker work out? 

It didn’t. The Lakers waited too long to accept the fact. At this year’s deadline, they finally conceded. 

NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks & Los Angeles Lakers Updates

Sure, the Lakers got a decent return for Westbrook. Didn’t it feel like a decent collection of spare parts?

If the Lakers had quit on the James / Westbrook duo more quickly, they might have gotten a better return. 

With that in mind, is Murray the right partner for James?