Dejounte Murray Trade Rumors: Warriors’ Interest ‘Tepid at Best’ amid Lakers Buzz

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 31, 2024

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The Golden State Warriors are reportedly not a contender to trade for Dejounte Murray ahead of next week’s deadline.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported the Warriors’ interest in trading for Murray is “tepid at best” as the front office decides how to handle this disappointing season. The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned frequently as a potential destination for Murray at the Feb. 8 headline.

Golden State currently sits at 20-24 and is in 12th place in the Western Conference. The Utah Jazz lead the Warriors by 1.5 games for the final Play-In Tournament spot.

Stephen Curry remains one of the sport’s premier players as he approaches his 36th birthday, but the team around him has essentially fallen apart. Klay Thompson’s performance has fallen off a cliff this season, Draymond Green has spent much of his season suspended for acts of on-court violence, and Andrew Wiggins took his $109 million contract extension and turned into a pumpkin.

With big offseason acquisition Chris Paul missing time due to a hand injury, the Warriors are an expensive, veteran-laden disappointment.

That’s lent some credence to the idea the Warriors could look to shake things up ahead of the deadline, but it’s hard to find an avenue to hoisting a championship this season. Ownership would likely prefer an approach that allows them to move on from Paul’s $30 million contract and sees Thompson return at a discount next summer, allowing the Warriors to duck under the prohibitive second luxury tax apron.

Adding Murray, even under his reasonable four-year, $114.1 million, would create an obstacle in that path. It would be a major surprise to see the Warriors add long-term salary ahead of the deadline given their current trajectory.