Maybe the The Los Angeles Lakers“The biggest trade target last season was guard Dejounte Murray. Murray, who was an All-Star a few years ago and ended up having a career season, was seen as the type of goalie who scores quickly and makes it easy and could take some of the pressure off. LeBron James and serve as an upgrade from D’Angelo Russell.
The Lakers reportedly negotiated with the Atlanta Hawks for a time over the winter in an attempt to strike a deal. But the talks broke down, and according to Brian Windhorst on an episode of “The Hoop Collective” It’s because the Hawks didn’t want a particular player that LA offered them — Russell (h/t Life Lake Show).
“The Hawks went down that road last year with the Lakers,” Windhorst said. “There was a period of time where there was a lot of momentum, at least on the Lakers’ side, where they thought they had a great chance to get Dejounte Murray. Ultimately, D’Angelo Russell was in the mix, and I don’t know if they were going to have a third team or anything, but the Hawks weren’t on board with that.”
Russell is not a player the league seems to be interested in. He was thought to be opting out of his contract this summer, but apparently the market was so lukewarm for him that he opted into the player option on his contract.
The Hawks eventually traded Murray to the The New Orleans Pelicansand as a result, the Pelicans could take a step forward next season. He averaged a career-high 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, and he could have potentially helped the Lakers take a big step forward.
This article was originally published on LeBron Wire: Brian Windhorst explains why the Lakers couldn’t trade for Dejounte Murray
