Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks headlined the latest NBA rumors as several teams are expected to shake things up with the February 8 deadline approaching.
NBA regular season is heading to the end of the first part of the season with the trade deadline being two weeks away and several names came to the front and are expected to be available until February 8. However, after the Siakam trade, Murray has been the most sought out player in the league
The first domino of this NBA trade season fell last week with the trade of Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers in deal centered around Bruce Brown and three first-round picks. This trade could be a price setter for any All-Star caliber player getting traded in the coming weeks including Dejounte Murray.
Without further ado, here are what it has been reported around the Dejounte Murray sweepstakes during the last few days.
Dejounte Murray and the Lakers interest
The first news about the two-way guard availability came as a surprise as the Hawks had offloaded many assets to acquire Dejounte Murray from the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs. The Hawks believed Murray could cover for Trae Young’s defensive deficiencies and helped him run the Hawks offense as a secondary scorer.
Murray signed a four-year, $114 million extension this summer with a player option in 2027 and he’s locked in for the long term. As a result, many teams could see Murray getting back to his All-Star self after parting ways with the Hawks backcourt duties that are dominated by Young.
The Lakers have reportedly expressed interest but they will have to give up something valuable in order for a deal to become a reality. As of now, a package centered around D’Angelo Russell is not expected to cut it for them. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Hawks are willing to “reshuffle the deck” going forward with veterans like Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter.
Other teams that could be interested in Murray’s services are contending teams with assets to offer, like the Heat or the Warriors, especially if they are willing to part ways with some of their young core or valuable role players.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets getting into play and a potential return to San Antonio
Another team which is expected to make a move and have the assets for a potential Dejounte Murray deal is the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are expected to shake their roster up starting with the expiring deal of Spencer Dinwiddie. According to SNY reporter Ian Begley, they were preliminary talks around a deal that could include Dinwiddie.
A potential exchange between Dinwiddie and Murray could come as a surprise, but the Nets have several win-now pieces to offer, meaning Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson. If they believe that pairing Mikal Bridges with Dejounte Murray could bring them closer to the top-tier teams of the East, then they could be among the suitors.
Dejounte Murray, 27, is averaging 21.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game this season his second with the Hawks after getting traded from San Antonio before the start of the 2022-23 season. That said, he was averaging 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per in his final season in San Antonio.
That said, San Antonio could be among suitors this deadline as they would want a veteran guard to run the point for Victor Wembanyama. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, they are several teams showing interest in Murray’s talents.
“The [Philadelphia 76ers], Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs have been mentioned as other teams with an interest,” Pompey wrote (via Bleacher Report).
