With a 141-132 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their home-heavy stretch of January with a 6-4 record at home and 6-6 overall.
Los Angeles is 23-23 with less than two weeks until the Feb. 8 trade deadline and faces a daunting six-game Grammys-induced trip ahead. Will they make a move before the deadline? Is D’Angelo Russell still on the table after his recent play? What about Austin Reaves? How secure is Darvin Ham’s job?
It has been a minute, so I wanted to do a Q&A to answer a lot of the questions I’ve been getting lately. Here’s Part 1 of two, in which I’ll cover the Lakers’ interest in Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray, Russell’s value, Ham’s future, why Reaves remains close to untouchable and more. Part 2 will drop next week.
Are the Lakers really trading DLo for Murray? — @ADHDGoat
The Lakers have already tried to trade Russell for Murray. The two sides were close on a potential deal about two weeks ago, as I reported last week. Talks stalled, but are expected to resume ahead of the deadline. Murray remains the Lakers’ top priority on the trade market, according to multiple team and league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
The Lakers believe Murray would provide similar offensive production to Russell, with obvious downgrades in 3-point shooting volume and playmaking. But Murray is the superior defender, athlete and penetrator, all qualities the Lakers need more of in their rotation. Like Russell, Murray has taken a step forward in recent weeks, nailing two game-winners and averaging 24.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.8 steals in his past 13 games. Plus, with approximately four years and $114 million left on his extension, he’s secured for multiple seasons at a reasonable cost given his pedigree and production.
The only realistic way for the Lakers to acquire Murray would involve them sending out Russell (or Reaves, technically, but they don’t want to trade him, as I’ve previously reported and will lay out again below). It wouldn’t make sense to trade, say, Rui Hachimura for Murray, as that would create too large of a hole in the frontcourt unless the Lakers execute a separate trade for a frontcourt player.
The latest holdup has been the Hawks asking for Reaves instead of Russell, which is a nonstarter for the Lakers, and then wanting Russell re-routed to a third team if he remains in the trade. In the event the Lakers acquire Murray, Russell will almost certainly be included. That’s where talks stand as of now.
Has DLO’s recent play affected his trade value? — @burner_literal
Yes, at least as far as the Lakers are concerned. Russell’s recent play has certainly made their decision harder. He’s leading the team in points (27.4) and is second in assists (6.6) since re-entering the starting lineup on Jan. 13. This is not only his best stretch of the season, but undoubtedly the best stretch of either of his Lakers tenures and one of the best of his career.
However, it has not changed the two biggest obstacles to retaining Russell past the deadline. First, he and Reaves have a level of overlapping strengths and weaknesses that make it difficult to keep them together long term. Second, Russell’s current contract creates something of a lose-lose proposition for the Lakers.
If the Lakers have to move on from one of their lead guards, Russell makes more sense, even with him outplaying Reaves for portions of the season (the beginning, and then more recently). There’s a reason why every team asks for Reaves first: He has more leaguewide value. That perception extends to the Lakers, too, who ultimately value Reaves over Russell. Russell’s heater hasn’t changed that reality, according to team sources.
The second point requires some unpacking. Russell has an $18.7 million player option for next season. That’s a reasonable figure, but it also creates a dilemma. If Russell regresses, he’d…
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