Blockbuster new three-team trade proposal sends Zach LaVine + Dejounte Murray to Lakers, Hawks get assets to retool

The first big trade of the offseason took place Thursday night when the Chicago Bulls traded guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey. There is now speculation as to whether this is just the first of many steps the Bulls could take in an effort to rebuild and look forward to the future. Yahoo Sports NBA insider Jake Fischer had this to say yesterday about LaVine’s future:

“Chicago continues to project a willingness to mix up its game, explore its options moving forward in the draft, sources said, and engage rival teams on trade scenarios with LaVine. The Bulls have attempted to find a new home for LaVine since last offseason, according to league sources, but have yet to develop significant traction on deals outside of negotiations with Detroit that once included Bojan Bogdanović — who has since been traded to New York — and the Pistons are now under new leadership with president Trajan Langdon.

There isn’t much more room for supposed roster shakeups outside of the LaVine trade if Chicago is as determined to keep Williams and veteran scorer DeMar DeRozan as the Bulls have planned thus far, sources said.

LaVine remains simply a backup option for the Sixers, sources said, but not a player Philadelphia really covets with the team’s ocean of cap space. If there’s one suitor for LaVine that seems the most likely at this point, it would be the Kings. Sacramento remains active in exploring trade opportunities for Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter, league sources told Yahoo Sports, with Huerter receiving a fair amount of outside interest. The Kings, at this point, are still considering trade possibilities for their No. 13 pick in Wednesday’s draft, sources said, with combo guard Malik Monk a top candidate for Sixth Man of the Year , agreeing to stay with Sacramento and his close friend, All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox.

Meanwhile, yesterday, NBA insider Shams Charania was on Pat McAfee’s show and mentioned that there might still be some interest from the Los Angeles Lakers in Dejounte Murray:

The Lakers and Hawks have been mentioned as former trade partners and the Lakers in particular are going to be under pressure to make big moves this offseason to take advantage of their window with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If the Hawks decide to move Murray and build around Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and the No. 1 pick, the Lakers could make sense. If LaVine’s trade value has actually declined, the Lakers could also buy cheap and try to get the most out of the rest of LeBron’s career.

How about a three-team deal that would help everyone? It should be noted that this is simply a fun, speculative exercise to see what types of moves can be made, not what I think a team should absolutely do. That’s all.

Here is the trade:

Hawks receive: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, 2024 Lakers 1st round pick (No. 17 overall) and 2030 Lakers 1st round pick (unprotected).)

The Lakers receive: Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine

Bulls receive: D’Angelo Russell, AJ Griffin, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Cam Reddish, 2025 1st round pick (from Atlanta via Sacramento, protected 1-12) and a 2025 2nd round pick via Lakers

Let’s break down this trade.

For the Hawks, they would get two wingers back to help them solve their size and length issues around Young. Hachimura and Vanderbilt are still young and Vincent could be the Hawks’ backup point guard next season. The Hawks would get another first-round pick that they could use to take another young asset and the Lakers’ 2030 unprotected pick would be valuable. Even if the Hawks don’t get Austin Reaves, the 2030 pick could be very valuable.

For the Lakers, this might be the best chance for them to maximize their window with James and Davis. They wouldn’t have to give up every 1st round pick in the process and add two talented players while keeping Reaves. With Donovan Mitchell potentially re-signing with Cleveland and if the Hawks decide to move Murray instead, Murray could be the best player on the trade market. It looks like the Bulls are going to have a hard time trading LaVine, but the Lakers could buy low on him.

For the Bulls, it would be all about getting LaVine’s contract off the books. They are signing two young players, Griffin and Hood-Schifino, who they can see for a year and determine if they have a future with them. Russell and Reddish are expected to be in the deal for salary purposes, but they could later flip Russell for something if they wanted. Reddish is still a young player whose contract is expiring, assuming he opts out this season. The choices would also be useful for the future.

It’s difficult to make a trade where all parties are happy, but this could be the best return for either team. Atlanta is recruiting young, athletic wing players to surround Young and two draft picks. Even though Hachimura and Vanderbilt will likely never be All-Star players, they could be good candidates and they aren’t under unreasonable contracts either.

The Bulls probably won’t get much for LaVine at this point due to his contract and health, but it could end up being a nice return for them. This is a team that needs to retool for the future and it will be difficult to do so with LaVine’s money on the books. Terminating this contract is the Bulls’ biggest victory in this business.

It was no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers attempted to trade for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray before last year’s trade deadline, but nothing happened, the Lakers and the Hawks having decided to stand by their teams. But at one point it looked like a deal between the two teams was possible. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who covers the Lakers, wrote in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline:“The buzz on Murray is only growing — and to noisy levels. The Lakers and Hawks have discussed potential frameworks for a deal, including a release late last week centered on Russell, Hood-Schifino , the 2029 first-round pick and additional draft compensation, according to multiple team and league sources, talks have since stalled, but are expected to resume as the deadline approaches. You can read the entire article here.

It was reported that the Hawks did not want Russell back in a deal, but according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, a three-team deal was discussed between the Lakers, Nets and Hawks:

“Multiple sources say that before trading for Dennis Schröder, the Brooklyn Nets were in talks with the Lakers for Russell (LA getting Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks). This trade is dead between the Lakers and Hawks, but the Nets still need a top-notch guard. »

Pincus didn’t say what the Hawks were getting back in the deal, but I think it likely would have seen the Hawks getting Rui Hachimura, Hood-Schifino and recouping compensation from the Lakers.

There has been some smoke around the Hawks and Lakers about Murray. Los Angeles has also expressed interest in LaVine in the past. While this deal may be unlikely, it makes some sense for everyone involved.