As per Jake Fischer’s report for Yahoo Sports, the Los Angeles Lakers are poised to revisit their pursuit of Atlanta Hawks’ combo guard, Dejounte Murray, during the upcoming offseason.
Throughout this season, the Lakers had made several attempts to acquire Murray; however, they refrained from finalizing any deal as the Hawks insisted on receiving rising talent Austin Reaves in exchange.
“League personnel expect Los Angeles, of course, to re-engage Atlanta over Murray, and New Orleans will have the opportunity to resume conversations the Pelicans held with the Hawks this week.”
The Hawks, standing at 24-30 for the season, set a high asking price for Murray, demanding at least two future first-round picks. Murray, who boasts impressive averages of 21.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks this season, shares the same agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, as Lakers’ luminaries LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Formerly an All-Star, Murray holds career statistics of 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks with stints at the San Antonio Spurs and the Hawks. His accolades include a selection to the 2017-18 All-Defensive Second Team and clinching the steals title in 2021-22 as a member of the Spurs before being traded to the Hawks in June 2022.
With a current season salary of $17.7 million, Murray penned a lucrative four-year, $114 million extension with the Hawks last offseason. The extension is set to take effect next season, entailing a salary of $24.8 million for Murray.
NBA insider Marc Stein has hinted that the Hawks might pivot their focus to trading Trae Young instead of Murray this summer. Young, also represented by Paul, has been a target of interest for the Lakers, boasting averages of 27.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 10.9 assists this season.
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