Grade the trade: Lakers snag Dejounte Murray in blockbuster proposed deal

As the Los Angeles Lakers continue to struggle following the In-Season Tournament it has become more evident that additions may need to be made. Contending teams like the Lakers should always be looking to improve and the last several weeks have proven that more work needs to be done in LA.

LeBron James himself has already sent a not-so-subtle message to the front office that this team is not good enough to compete with the best of the best. If the Lakers want to capitalize on the shrinking title window with LeBron then the front office may need to cave into any potential pressure from James.

In classic NBA fashion, a new intriguing trade target has emerged for the purple and gold just a day after LeBron's message. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Atlanta's Dejounte Murray may be a trade target for the purple and gold.

Dejounte Murray could be the Lakers' big swing at the trade deadline

The Hawks are not in a position to contend and the Trae Young-Murray partnership has not worked at all. The two guards have not meshed like the Hawks were hoping and it might be time for Atlanta to cut the losses now before the situation gets really ugly.

While Murray has not been great in Atlanta, he is still a very talented two-way player on a really great contract — which makes him an expensive trade target. Murray is under contract for four more years (the fourth being a player option) with a contract that doesn't cross $30 million until the last year. With the cap continuing to grow, this is exceptional value.

So what if the Lakers were serious about a Murray trade? What would a package even look like? Let's dive into the package itself before handing out grades for both teams.

A Los Angeles Lakers trade package for Dejounte Murray:

Dejounte Murray is easier to trade for from a money standpoint than someone like Zach LaVine because his salary is only worth $18.2 million for trade purposes. For that reason, the Lakers would not have to package both Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell to make the trade happen. Instead, the package would likely look something like this:

This is essentially all the assets the Lakers have to trade. Because of the league's Stepien Rule, the Lakers cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive years. That is why the 2028 and 2030 picks are swaps, while the 2029 pick can be unprotected.

The New Orleans Pelicans have the ability to take either the Lakers' 2024 or 2025 first-round pick, making the team unable to trade its 2026 first-round pick. While LA cannot offer it in a trade, the team still has a first-round pick in two of the next three years, so trading all the possible picks in this deal would not destroy the team's future (particularly in swaps).

As far as players in the package go, there is absolutely no need for the Hawks to ask for D'Angelo Russell. In a perfect world, the Hawks and Lakers would loop in a third team that takes Russell with that team sending another player or asset to the Hawks. That would still revolve around the foundation of this package.

This would be a soft reset for the Hawks. The team still has Trae Young but Atlanta would be admitting defeat on this year and would be recouping some of the assets in trading for Murray in the first place. In the future, Atlanta would likely try to package Hachimura, another middling contract, and these Lakers picks for a new star to bring in (maybe this is the LaVine team?).

With all this in mind, let's hop into the grades for both sides.

Los Angeles Lakers grade: A-

Some fans may look at the price and instantly shut down the idea of trading for Murray. It is not hard to see why, as Murray has not been playing at the same level in Atlanta that he was in San Antonio before he was initially traded.

In Murray's defense, he has been in a bad system with a heliocentric point guard who demands a high usage rate. It has not necessarily been a great system to thrive in and some of Young's shortcomings have rubbed off on Murray.

All that being said, Murray is still barely 27 years old and his contract is going to age really well as the cap continues to balloon in the NBA. Murray is a great two-way guard to pair next to Anthony Davis and would not restrict the team from bringing in a future star.

Atlanta Hawks grade: C-

This trade is not a failure for the Hawks but it definitely is not the ideal package for the team. In a perfect world, the Hawks would be able to get someone back who can play next to Young and elevate his game in the process.

That kind of trade may not be out there for the Hawks unless they wanted to take the risk on LaVine. The picks from Los Angeles also are not the best, as they are years in the future and cannot be cashed in until then.

All that being said, this is still enough to theoretically get a deal done for Murray considering his market value. However, it probably would be better for the Hawks to wait until the offseason and field offers then.