As LeBron James’ career comes to an end, the Los Angeles Lakers are under pressure to build a team around him that can compete for a championship.
Despite the praise they received during the season, the Lakers seem to have failed to do so, hovering around .500 for most of the 2023-24 season.
With the trade deadline looming on February 8, the Lakes have one last chance to improve their roster in hopes of salvaging the season and getting back into contention for a championship.
As usual around this time, the Lakes have been linked to a number of different players at the trade deadline, most notably Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks, though talks seem to have cooled off recently.
The Lakers can choose different paths at the end of the transfer window, either a big trade, a few smaller trades or staying put. They’ve also been linked to Kyle Lowry on the buyout market. With that in mind, our staff discussed the potential trades we’d like to see in the latest Lakers Nation roundtable.
Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA):
There’s constant trade talk about the Lakers this time of year, whether it’s big deals for big-name players or smaller moves that might not even move the needle.
The team hasn’t exactly impressed in the first half of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, so it’s no surprise that a deal before the trade deadline on February 8 seems inevitable.
However, it is uncertain whether anything the team does in the next week and a half will improve its chances of finishing among the Western Conference contenders. Most of the names associated with the Lakers don’t seem important enough to change the team’s fortunes, but former star Dejounte Murray is an interesting one.
A proposed deal that seems to be floating around is D’Angelo Russell, rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino, and a first-round pick in the 2029 draft in exchange for a Hawks guard. That’s not bad in my opinion, but it sacrifices part of the future for a player who may not make much of a difference for Los Angeles.
However, the team needs to be fully engaged at the moment, because LeBron James’ future is uncertain and we cannot know how things will go after this season. James has an option in his contract that he can easily waive and sign with the team that will select his son Bronny James.
In my opinion, make a deal for Murray, and if it doesn’t work out, the team will at least try. Russell is what he is at the moment, although he has been very hot lately. Murray might be able to go to another level and become a third star with consistency.
Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane):
If it came down to trading Dejounte Murray, there’s one thing I’d be willing to do for the Lakers: bring back our old friend Alex Caruso. His defense would be a welcome addition and would be a great fit with D’Angelo Russell or Austin Reaves, and it would kill two birds with one stone if they can bring back rugged center Andre Drummond. It might not have the same effect as the Murray trade, but I think the impact on winning would be greater.
Here’s the deal: Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond for Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schiffin, and a protected first-round pick in the 2029 lottery. The Bulls reportedly want two first-round picks for Caruso, but I’m giving them a little less with one first-rounder and JHS, plus they take on an extra year of salary for Vincent.
If the Bulls were willing to take back Jaxson Hayes as well, which would drop LA below the in-season luxury tax and reinstate the recurrence tax, I’d be willing to add a 2nd and drop the pick protection to 10th.
Matthew Peralta (@_MatthewPeralta):
Despite all the smoke regarding Dejounte Murray, it appears the Lakers will go in a different direction at the NBA transfer deadline. If Murray somehow stays with the Hawks or transfers to another team, I’d like to see the Lakers turn their attention to Bruce Brown.
Los Angeles is said to be very interested in trading Brown, which makes sense considering they tried to acquire him in free agency last year. The Toronto Raptors have reportedly been looking to rebuild their roster around Scottie Barnes, and Brown is an attractive piece for several teams and playoff hopes.
For Brown, they could offer D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schiffin and a 2029 first-round pick (lottery protected). They would also accept a bigger offer that would bring Dennis Schroder. The Lakers would need to add someone like Gabe Vincent to make the math work, but if the Raptors are open to it, I’d be willing to lower the protection of the pick to something like protection at #7.
Matthew Valento (@matthewvalento):
Lakers: Dejounte Murray
Spencer Dinwiddie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Trenton Watford, 2029 first-round pick (protected in the third round), 2029 second-round pick (via BKN), and 2029 second-round pick (via DAL)
Nets: D’Angelo Russell, second-round picks in 2025 and 2030 (via L.A.)
There’s been a lot of talk about Dejounte Murray coming to the Lakers because he’s simply a better two-way player than D’Angelo Russell. Murray provides the skills needed by a Lakers team full of one-dimensional players.
The problem with trading Russell and Murray is finding a third team to make that deal possible, and I think that’s the Brooklyn Nets, who are in a rebuilding phase.
Russell reunites with the Nets to test the waters with a young team and add some more points. Spencer Dinwiddie would be the expiring contract that the Hawks would be looking for, and Jalen Hood-Schifino would enter a better situation as Atlanta may be starting a rebuild soon, accompanied by a valuable 2029 pick that could be valuable as this will be the post-LeBron era.