Lakers Rumors: New Details Emerge For Possible All-Star Trade

Things are heating up...

It appears your Los Angeles Lakers seem to be honing in on a major trade target, with the February 8th trade deadline suddenly right around the corner.

But their target may not be quite who you'd think.

Sources inform beat reporter Jovan Buha of The Athletic that LA has established a possible outline for a trade with the Atlanta Hawks to acquire the services of recent All-Star guard Dejounte Murray.

Per Buha, LA would flip the $17.3 million contract of starting point guard D'Angelo Russell, first round rookie draft pick Jalen Hood-Schifino (who's given LA nothing since being selected with the No. 17 overall pick out of Indiana, immediately ahead of both Miami Heat small forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Golden State Warriors shooting guard Brandon Podziemski), LA's 2029 first rounder, plus "additional draft compensation," which presumably is some combination of second rounders and pick swaps.

This would represent quite the upgrade for Los Angeles. This reporter is surprised that this is all it would cost to acquire the services of a young All-Defensive Team combo guard, who would be an excellent fit alongside Austin Reaves. Murray would improve LA's backcourt defense, while being pretty much a wash offensively as a Russell replacement, if not even an outright improvement thanks to his ability to not melt down in late-game scenarios.