Lakers Rumors: Dejounte Murray Trade Talks Had ‘No Traction’ on NBA Deadline Day

Adam WellsFebruary 9, 2024

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The NBA trade deadline passed on Thursday with the Los Angeles Lakers surprisingly not making any moves despite being connected to multiple players, most notably Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks.

Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, there was “no traction” on a deal between the Lakers and Hawks for Murray.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick noted the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans had varying degrees of interest in Murray, but the Pelicans had the impression they were only being “used as leverage (that didn’t work) against the Lakers.”

The Lakers seemed to be the most likely team that would make a deal before the deadline, if only because it felt like there was mounting pressure within the organization to do so.

It was just over one week ago when LeBron James was posting cryptic emojis on social media following a 138-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

LeBron James @KingJames⌛️

James has declined to comment on what the emoji was supposed to mean. There were also enough public rumblings about the 20-time All-Star perhaps looking to get out of Los Angeles that his agent, Rich Paul, had to issue a statement to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst saying he “won’t be traded, and we aren’t asking to be.”

Amid all of this apparent frustration from James, the Lakers opted to stand pat. General manager Rob Pelinka explained after the deadline passed why they didn’t take any action:

Michael Corvo @michaelcorvoNBAHere’s Rob Pelinka explaining the Lakers’ approach to the trade deadline. “You can’t buy a house that’s not for sale.”

Pelinka stressed the two additional first-round picks the Lakers can trade this summer. pic.twitter.com/MMUth40DBU

James told reporters last week he hasn’t made a decision about his $51.4 million player option for next season. There’s no reason for him to give up that leverage at this point, but he also did a lot of flirting with the New York Knicks before and after Saturday’s game at Madison Square Garden.

Murray was the player most frequently connected to the Lakers leading up to the deadline. He would have helped some of their three-point shooting issues and is a more consistently reliable player than D’Angelo Russell, but the Hawks were also seeking multiple first-round picks to move him.

While Murray is a good player, it’s fair to wonder if adding him would have been enough to take the Lakers from a borderline play-in team to a Finals contender.

The Lakers capped off their Thursday with a 114-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets that snapped their three-game winning streak. They rank ninth in the Western Conference with a 27-26 record.