The Los Angeles Lakers decided to sit back at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline and make no big moves.
For weeks, the team was linked heavily to Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray. One major obstacle constantly seemed to stand in the way of a deal getting done, though.
Surely enough, the deadline came and went on Thursday with Murray remaining in Atlanta.
After the deadline passed, word emerged about what precisely scuttled a potential deal between the Lakers and Hawks.
“The Lakers were not close to any deals on Thursday morning, according to team sources,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported.
“The closest they ever got to a trade was with the Atlanta Hawks for Dejounte Murray. The Athletic reported the framework of the deal several weeks ago: D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino and that 2029 first-round pick. The trade ultimately fell apart once the Hawks repeatedly insisted on Reaves being a part of the deal, according to team and league sources.”
It also didn’t help that Los Angeles had no assets that other teams desired outside of Reaves.
“Rival teams just didn’t covet Russell, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent in trades, according to team and league sources. Any deal involving those players would’ve required the Lakers to attach assets, including their first-round pick more often than not,” Buha added.
As a result, the Lakers are now heading into the second half of the season with the same roster they had all year.
Chiefs Fan Taylor Swift Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction During Show: https://t.co/xkaIZGcTp0
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It will be interesting to see how the team bounces back.
The roster is the same; the coach is the same; and the strategy is the same.
Can the Lakers take all that sameness and produce a different result in the latter half of the 2023-24 NBA season? Time will tell.
Related: 3 Likeliest Lakers Buyout Candidates After NBA Trade Deadline
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
