All-Star Lakers Trade Target Sent to New Orleans for Massive Haul

The Lakers missed out on a stellar possible fit.

Dec 21, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) is defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

One of the Los Angeles Lakers' top rumored trade All-Star targets is on the move. And he's not headed to L.A.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Atlanta Hawks are ending their Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt experiment after just two seasons, and will ship Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for former Lakers big man Larry Nance Jr., backup point guard Dyson Daniels, the Lakers' 2025 first round draft pick (acquired by New Orleans in the 2019 Anthony Davis trade), and a 2027 first round pick, slated to be the less favorable selection between the Pelicans' own first and the Milwauke Bucks' first that year.

Last season on a miserable 36-46 Hawks club, the 6-foot-5 combo guard averaged a career-high 22.5 points on .459/.363/.794 shooting splits, 6.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists a night, across 78 healthy contests.

A 2018 All-Defensive Teamer while with the San Antonio Spurs, Murray is an intriguingly potent two-way talent, capable both of shining on and off the ball. The Washington product, 27, was supposedly a trade target for Los Angeles at the 2023-24 season deadline, but the team at the time opted to keep its coffers clean for this offseason, when it would have more optionality and more picks at its disposal for trades. Now, Murray heads to New Orleans, a Lakers inter-conference rival, where he'll work to shore up the club's perimeter defense while adding some playmaking flexibility.

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