Lakers target Dejounte Murray traded to New Orleans Pelicans

The Lakers circled the wagon on Dejounte Murray for a long time, but the Hawks have dealt the guard to the New Orleans Pelicans, ending the chase.

Dejounte Murray will not be a Los Angeles Laker.

More or less, that statement has felt true since the trade deadline, but it became official on Friday evening when the Hawks traded Murray to the Pelicans, as first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski.

The trade has a heavy amount of Lakers influence on it. Larry Nance, obviously, was a Lakers draft pick. The 2025 pick dealt to the Hawks is the Lakers pick, which means the Lakers owe New Orleans nothing else in the Anthony Davis trade as that was the final piece. Lastly, Dyson Daniels was a player selected in 2022 by the Pelicans with the Lakers pick.

Considering what was asked of the Lakers in trade negotiations, if you feel this isn’t a lot for Murray, you probably wouldn’t be wrong.

During the heat of the negotiations between the Lakers and Hawks, reports were that Atlanta wanted more than Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura in a trade for Murray. Eventually, reports were that the discussions had centered around D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2029 first round pick.

However, the Hawks’ lack of interest in D’Lo complicated the trade talks. Eventually, Russell played so well in the month leading up to the trade deadline that the Lakers opted against trading him away and Murray remained in Atlanta as a result.

While a package around “more than Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura” is probably better than the one Atlanta got, a deal centered around D’Lo, JHS and a 2029 pick is not as good as what Atlanta got.

Regardless, the Lakers were no longer chasing Murray this offseason. Reports have indicated that the team is focused on improving the roster and no longer chasing a third star, meaning the team’s pursuit of Murray began and ended at the trade deadline this year.

It does bring him to a team that the Lakers will likely compete for playoff spots against in the Pelicans, but it also feels unlikely that New Orleans is done making moves with Brandon Ingram likely to be dealt as well.

A lot of changes across the league will likely be taking place. We’ll see if the Lakers look to keep pace as things unfold.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.