The Los Angeles Lakers are bound to make a big improvement this winter, as the team sits at 21-22 with their playoff aspirations looking cloudy. They’re holding on to a play-in spot right now, but the Lakers had title hopes this season and are far away from that goal right now. They’ve been linked to Dejounte Murray and Alex Caruso for a long time now and it’s time the team makes the plunge to acquire both players, even if it exhausts their assets.
The Lakers reportedly have a standing offer already for Dejounte while needing to compete against other teams to acquire Alex Caruso. Caruso is a low-maintenance defensive stalwart on a small contract, so the Lakers will have to fight some tough competition to acquire him. But if they give up some good pieces, it’ll be a breeze for the Lakers to convince the Bulls.
Trade Details
Bulls Receive: D’Angelo Russell, 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAC), 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAL), 2027 Second-Round Pick (LAL), 2030 Second-Round Pick (LAL)
Hawks Receive: Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)
Lakers Receive: Dejounte Murray, Alex Caruso, Torrey Craig
The Lakers use multiple second-round picks and a solid player like D’Angelo Russell to convince the Bulls to give them Caruso while routing Rui Hachimura to the Hawks, a player that’d be a fit on that roster, unlike Russell. The acquisition of Torrey Craig isn’t major but he could end up being a major contributor as a bench forward.
The Bulls Start Pivoting To A New Era
The Chicago Bulls have four attractive players on their roster but it seems that the Bulls are hell-bent on keeping them together to try and make the play-in tournament. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic are higher-value assets due to their production, but Caruso may be the most attractive piece for most contenders. His $9.46 million salary is easy to manage while he will come in and be the perimeter defensive menace every contender needs.
D’Angelo Russell is 28 years old and capable of being an elite scoring guard in the NBA. The Bulls have a bottom-five offense in the NBA and Russell could address that as a spark plug. Due to his favorable contract, the Bulls can either rehabilitate his value and trade him as an expiring contract next season or bite the bullet until 2025, when Russell can walk after the expiration of his contract. He’s averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 assists.
The picks are tentative, as the Lakers may be pushed to include a 2030 or 2028 First-Round Pick swap instead of the gaggle of seconds they’re sending due to Caruso’s value around the NBA. But many teams can’t offer a player of D’Angelo’s caliber, so this would be a compelling package for the Bulls.
The Hawks Get What They Need
The Lakers reportedly have a standing offer of D’Angelo Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and a 2029 first-round pick for Dejounte Murray contingent on the teams finding a third team for Russell. In this mock trade, the Hawks get a complementary frontcourt option like Rui Hachimura while still getting the extremely valuable 2029 first-round pick along with the 2023 first-round selection Jalen Hood-Schifino.
The Hawks have been struggling with Saddiq Bey’s inconsistencies, especially on the defensive end all season. Hachimura can be a streaky player offensively but has shown in LA that he will always play with defensive intensity and be a sponge for his coach. Unfortunately, he hasn’t blossomed under Darvin Ham but could find a long-term role in the NBA as a member of the Hawks under Quin Snyder.
He would fit next to Trae Young as a multi-position forward who can adjust to whatever the team needs. The main prize for the Hawks will be that 2029 pick, as the Lakers could be years removed from both LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster by that point.
The Lakers Push Towards Contention
Many people have said that the Lakers can’t engineer a magic-bullet trade like last year, when three new players joined the roster and transformed the team. However, this three-team trade does net them three players who can all make a big impact on the game.
Caruso is averaging 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists but is known to have terrific chemistry with LeBron and will gladly accept the role as the primary perimeter stopper for the team, which would potentially make AD’s rim protection and paint defense even more lethal.
Murray has been the Lakers’ main target for months now, as he’s averaging 21.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in one of his best offensive seasons. His defensive decline at the age of 27 has been questioned by many, but some believe it could be due to a lack of effort in Atlanta. Maybe playing with his idol LeBron and on the Lakers can get him to hustle on defense again, which could potentially make the Lakers a cut above the rest when it comes to a defensive roster.
Torrey Craig won’t be a major contributor but could absorb minutes in the frontcourt in case of injuries or fatigue. He’s averaging 6.1 points, 4.8 rebounds this season.
The Price Is Right
The Lakers need to give up a bounty to acquire two players like this, so they had to give up everything outside of first-round pick swaps and Austin Reaves. The team could use those assets to make a final deal, but it’s clear the Lakers are always trepidation about sending out draft picks unless it’s a guaranteed upgrade. Dejounte and Caruso bring some question marks, but if the team can’t win with them, maybe it’s time to look at starting a new chapter in Lakers history, especially with LeBron’s impending free agency.
The Hawks don’t want to make the mistake they did with John Collins and hold him as his value fell lower every month. The Murray interest is already netting them some solid packages. While they’ll trade him away at a loss from what they sent to acquire him, it’ll still be a worthwhile package.
The Bulls start their rebuild by moving off Caruso and acquiring a ton of valuable second-round picks. In addition, the prospect of getting value from a former lottery pick like Russell could be good enough to make the Bulls finally take a step toward rebuilding.
