The Atlanta Hawks' Dejounte Murray and Utah Jazz's Collin Sexton have been linked with the Los Angeles Lakers in possible trades involving the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Givony reported in Monday's mock draft the Lakers "likely will explore the trade market to see what type of veterans they can add to give LeBron James, Anthony Davis and new coach J.J. Redick the best chance of competing this season."
Especially when Los Angeles had a pretty quiet trade deadline in February, many wondered whether the front office was choosing to focus instead on this summer as the time to make a blockbuster move. ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted how general manager Rob Pelinka can trade up to three first-round picks starting from the day of the 2024 draft.
Appearing last Friday on The Pat McAfee Show, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Murray continues to be on the Lakers' radar after being mentioned as a deadline target.
Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow"The pressure is on the Lakers front office to make changes to this roster..<br><br>They have to be aggressive and I think Dejounte Murray will come up in trade conversations"<a href="">@ShamsCharania</a> <a href="">#PMSLive</a> <a href="">
NBA insider Marc Stein reported in April the general expectation with the Hawks was they'd look to move either Murray or fellow guard Trae Young with their on-court partnership not really working out to this point.
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported Murray is viewed as the better asset given the players' respective contract situations. Young makes $89 million over the next two years and has a $49 million player option for 2026-27. Murray is just entering the four-year, $114 million extension he signed with Atlanta.
In the case of Sexton, the Jazz could look to cash in on a player who's unlikely to be part of their long-term plans.
Utah fell back to earth a bit after slightly overachieving in 2022-23. The team finished 31-51 and 12th in the Western Conference.
A four-year, $71 million extension accompanied Sexton's trade to the Jazz in 2022, and that contract now has two seasons left to run. That would put the franchise in a position to collect a solid return for a player who has averaged 17.0 points and shot 39.4 percent from beyond the arc over the past two years.
As much as Murray or Sexton would theoretically help the Lakers, they might like the idea of landing a young player on a cost-controlled rookie deal who could contribute straight away.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected L.A. to take Purdue center Zach Edey in his newest mock draft. A high-floor prospect such as Edey would be a great fit because he has some skills — inside scoring and rim protection — that should quickly translate to the pros.
