The Los Angeles Lakers have officially completed the deal for Dejounte Murray.

The Los Angeles Lakers made an incredible trade at the NBA Trade Deadline of the previous season that helped them advance to the Western Conference Finals against all odds. With less than three weeks until the NBA Trade Deadline this year, the Lakers are hoping to pull off something similar.

The Lakers’ 2023–24 NBA season has been anything but easy in the first half, as they are currently 9th in the Western Conference standings with a 22–22 record. It was anticipated that the Lakers would be able to maintain their momentum going into this season after making a run to the conference finals the previous year. That wasn’t exactly the case, as the Lakers have had trouble with erratic play for the majority of the campaign.

The Lakers, who currently sit ninth in the Western Conference standings with a 22–22 record, have had a difficult first half to their 2023–24 NBA season. After making it all the way to the conference finals the season before, it was expected that the Lakers would be able to sustain their momentum. That wasn’t quite the case, as the Lakers have struggled most of the season with inconsistent play.

A few weeks ago, the Lakers and Atlanta Hawks reportedly discussed a deal that included Murray, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The only thing stopping a deal from closing was the need to find a third team to play D’Angelo Russell. Shams stated that he anticipates a reunion between the two parties. It appears that this is a deal that has a lot of legs if the Lakers and Hawks could find a third team to play against Russell.

Is it possible for the Los Angeles Lakers to win?

It would be a major victory for the Lakers, who have frequently appeared to be hopeless this season, if they were to pull off this kind of deal for Murray. However, much of that will depend on what the market ultimately decides to be worth for the one-time All-Star.

This team’s trajectory would be drastically altered if Murray joined LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the supporting cast they currently have.

It’s not impossible to see the Lakers make a serious run in the second half of the season given that they are only 3.5 games behind the fifth seed in the Western Conference. more so in the event that they manage to seal a deal for a player with Murray’s caliber of talent.

The next few weeks will prove to be increasingly significant for the Lakers’ future, both in terms of how the team performs the remainder of this season and in terms of the years to come. Murray’s addition at the trade deadline would fundamentally alter this team’s trajectory. Can they seal the deal is the question.