Dejounte Murray is looking like he might be the next All-Star player to be traded.
There aren’t many big-name players whose names are still being talked about between front offices less than a month before the NBA’s yearly trade deadline.
Yes, you can thank the play-in game for the fact that most teams in the league still think they can make the playoffs.
But keep in mind that three All-Star guards have already moved this season in the NBA. Before November even started, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and James Harden were all traded.
All three of those moves have helped teams in Milwaukee, Boston, and Los Angeles while taking away a lot of the momentum that the Bucks, Celtics, and Clippers had in the 2024 title race.
At the start of the new year, New York bought OG Anunoby from Toronto, which took another prominent artist off the market.
Now think about the chance that two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, who Chicago has been interested in trading since the summer, and the Raptors’ other high-profile free-agent-to-be, All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, might both stay with their current teams past February 8.
Hawks combo wing Dejounte Murray might be the next-best star who has been traded during the NBA’s last few days of deals.
A lot of people in the league are still not sure if the Bulls will be able to find a deal partner for LaVine.
It’s been hard to find a team ready to take over LaVine’s deal, which has four years and about $180 million left on it, and give Chicago important players who will help the 9th-seeded Bulls stay in the running for the Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who may be most interested in LaVine, could also move for another big-name player like Murray and take themselves toward the picture.
Several teams are still interested in Toronto’s tall player Siakam. Sacramento, Indiana, Detroit, and Dallas are the four teams that NBA execs keep naming as active buyers who have looked into ways to get Siakam.
But any team that wants to sign Siakam has to carefully consider the clear messages from Siakam’s side.
This is especially true for teams like Murray’s Hawks, who tried to sign Siakam this past summer, and the financially struggling Golden State Warriors, who have talked about Siakam among themselves, according to sources.
Siakam has a clear path to becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. Like his former partner, Fred VanVleet went for Houston in June, he can just walk away and sign with the best price.
League sources say Siakam’s team is sure that similar high-dollar offers will come in because the 29-year-old has reached All-Star status in the Toronto offense with Scottie Barnes.
Sources say Siakam doesn’t seem interested in the two-year increase he could sign after being traded this season instead of the max long-term deal he wants to get as a free agent.
Dejounte Murray has been the main player in all of these deal talks. In a new report, NBA expert Jake Fischer says that Murray is the star player who is most likely to be traded.
He also names the Lakers, Heat, Knicks, 76ers, as well as Pistons as the five teams to keep an eye on. The Lakers, the 76ers, and the Knicks have been tied to Murray the most in the past.
There are a lot of trade reports going around about the NBA because the trade deadline is coming up soon.
There has been a lot of talk about the Los Angeles Lakers, who are the most productive team in the league but could use some changes.
It got more complicated for the Lakers on Thursday when it was said that Dejounte Murray is becoming the most likely star player to be moved, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
The Lakers were mentioned as a possible team to sign Murray, just like they’ve done in the past.
The Hawks are linked to more than just that big claim, though. Atlanta is also thought to be one of the best places for Toronto’s Pascal Siakam to go.
Since both Murray as well as Siakam are available, it might make the most sense to trade the two superstars.