According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Toronto Raptors guard Bruce Brown are still "front and centre" on the Los Angeles Lakers' target list.
According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, the rumours linking Murray to Los Angeles have "very real legs" and "it feels like the Lakers have separated themselves from the Dejounte pack."
ESPN's Dave McMenamin discussed several options for the Lakers ahead of the trade deadline. He stated that Murray "remains in the conversation" as a potential addition right now, while Los Angeles has remained interested in Brown since attempting to sign him with the midlevel exception in the offseason.
McMenamin also addressed why general manager Rob Pelinka is incentivized to wait until the offseason, despite the fact that the Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference and desperately need reinforcements.
By the time the 2024 NBA draft arrives, the team will be able to trade three future first-round picks. Those picks may be combined to help snag a far bigger fish than Murray or Brown, with McMenamin mentioning Hawks' Trae Young and Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell as two examples.
The urge for something more immediate may be too great to resist.
Missing the playoffs for the second time in three years would be a disappointing end to the season, especially given how healthy and productive LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been.
Murray and Brown are unlikely to be enough on their own to significantly improve Los Angeles' chances of winning the NBA championship, but both will surely help in a postseason push.
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