Grade the trade: Lakers flip D'Angelo Russell to Wizards in 3-team pitch

Los Angeles Lakers grade: A

Even though there are potential concerns about Murray and how he may fit next to LeBron James, any trade that can bring a player of his caliber back to LA for this price is going to be a good one for the purple and gold.

At his best, Murray is a two-way force that is exactly what this Lakers team needs in the backcourt. Best of all, he is under contract for another four seasons and is at a reasonable price, which allows the Lakers to bring in another star alongside him and Anthony Davis once LeBron calls it quits.

Murray makes the team better this season and makes them better in the long run. Sure, his play on the Hawks is concerning, but there is a good reason to believe that he will turn it around if he is to be traded to the Lakers.

Atlanta Hawks grade: C-

The C- grade for the Hawks is twofold. First, the Hawks probably want to get more picks in return but they also want to get contracts (like Capela's) off the books. It is hard for Atlanta to do both and as a result, they are in a situation where they may only get one unprotected first-round pick.

The problem for Atlanta is this is how the market is for Murray. Could there be another team that offers a second pick? Sure. But that would come with multiple years of salary in return. The Hawks have backed themselves into a corner with this Murray situation and that is their own doing.

This is a passable grade for the Hawks considering the direction of the franchise but that does not mean that the team should feel good about it.

Washington Wizards grade: B+

This is exactly the kind of trade the Wizards should be making. They trade off their expendable assets, take on two years of salaries at most, and get a valuable pick swap and a young first-round pick from the most recent draft.

Also, D'Lo is the perfect guard to put next to Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma to keep the tank alive. They can put up decent numbers on paper, sell tickets, and provide entertaining games as there would be no such thing as defense in Washington.

Then, if all goes well, D'Lo can go to Washington and put up inflated averages that leads another team to take a chance on him next year as an expiring contract (if he opts into his deal). Then the Wizards would be able to get even more value out of the trade by flipping Russell.