Agreements to trade D’Angelo Russell to the Knicks Hawks and Dejounte Murray to the Los Angeles Lakers have been approved.

Agreements to trade D’Angelo Russell to the Knicks Hawks and Dejounte Murray to the Los Angeles Lakers have been approved.

Following Monday’s practice, Tom Thibodeau addressed members of the media. He discussed Quentin Grimes’ current circumstances, giving the third-year guard some guidance amidst the flurry of rumors surrounding him and New York’s alleged interest in moving him before the deadline of February 8.

“At this time of year, I always say that one trade gets completed for every 100 that are discussed,” Thibodeau remarked. “I believe you adhere to your routine because of this. You shut out everything external. Recognize what is in front of you and maintain your attention there, just as you would with a basketball.

Coach Thibs is correct, but it still makes sense to go over it even if this column only covers one of those 99 trades that will never occur.

In his latest newsletter, published just yesterday, Monday, January 22, Marc Stein talked about the Los Angeles Lakers’ interest in Atlanta’s two-guard Dejounte Murray.

“It is thought that the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta have had the most in-depth trade talks regarding Murray to date.”

“To be clear, the Lakers have put Austin Reaves off-limits in those negotiations, but league sources say they are willing to package D’Angelo Russell’s trade-friendly contract with their only available future first-round pick in 2029 to get a deal done.”

Murray is worth $18.2 million for the 2024 season, while D’Lo is making $17.3 million this season. Therefore, trading D’Lo for Murray is a straight one-for-one trade. That’s fantastic because it makes it easier for both teams to trade players by including draft compensation—like the 2029 first-round pick Stein mentioned.

The Lakers appear willing to include “a pick swap” in the deal in addition to the previously mentioned, according to a little nugget of information that Shams Charania added to that report.

Those hypothetical situations have an issue. Guard D’Angelo Russell would probably be a part of any framework for a Murray trade to the Lakers, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. That would only apply if Russell was traded to a different Atlanta team during that process. The Hawks don’t think Russell’s $18.7 million player option for the following season and his style of play next to Trae Young are a good fit.

Oh no, a deal-breaking obstacle!

Read that scoop once more now. “…contingent on Russell being flipped to a third team from Atlanta,” just in case.

What if, as has been widely reported, New York has rejected every mega-superstar deal before the summer and is instead concentrating on adding players to strengthen the bench and bolstering the rotation? What if the Knicks have somehow found themselves in a fortunate situation where they can sign a seasoned playmaker who happens to be from Los Angeles? What might happen, might happen?

The three main (read: high-paid) players in the deal make for ideal contract fits for their new teams, and Evan Fournier’s move from New York to Atlanta makes it all work, so the framework of a three-team (LAL-ATL-NYK) deal works as-is.