The next Atlanta Hawks player making trade rumors is 3-and-D wing De’Andre Hunter, after the Los Angeles Lakers lost out on Dejounte Murray.

On the September 9 edition of “The Hoop Collective” podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon pondered whether it would be worthwhile for the Lakers to try to reopen trade negotiations with the Hawks, this time for Hunter, using the same D’Angelo Russell-centric offer that fell short of landing them Murray at the February trade deadline.

Hunter’s four-year, $90 million contract is up in three years.

De’Andre Hunter, who is owed roughly 22 million this year, 23 million the following year, and 25 million the year after, is someone the Hawks have been trying to offload, according to MacMahon. “That contract isn’t very good. Is signing that contract worthwhile for a team like the Lakers?

Last season, the 6-foot-8 Hunter set career highs with an average of 15.6 points and a 3-point percentage of 38.5%. However, the Hawks are reevaluating their goals in light of Jalen Johnson’s rise, rendering Hunter unnecessary.

D’Angelo Russell is the Crucial Piece in a Lakers-Hawks Trade.

Brian Windhorst, MacMahon’s co-host on the show and colleague at ESPN, pointed out that the Hawks’ position on a D’Angelo Russell-centric Lakers package would soften given the current situation.

Windhorst remarked, “The Hawks went down this road with the Lakers last year.” “There was a period of time when there was a lot of momentum, and the Lakers felt like they had a great chance to acquire Dejounte Murray.”

The transaction that might have taken Murray to the Lakers to join fellow Klutch Sports clients LeBron James and Anthony Davis was shelved due to Russell’s fit next to Trae Young and his eventual decision to exercise his $18 million player option.

In the end, this offseason, the Hawks dealt Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans.

“In the end, the Hawks weren’t cool with D’Angelo Russell being in that deal—I don’t know if they were going to have a third team or anything. They weren’t heading that way at the conclusion of the day, Windhorst added. “So, you would be returning to a place where they had previously refused, but that’s a different situation—granted, they are aware that this is the year his contract expires.”

Lakers are urged to go back to LeBron James’ formula for success.

The Lakers’ greatest vulnerability last season was their perimeter defense, which allowed Jamal Murray to make two game-winning jumpers in their playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets.

When Cam Reddish had a successful run early in the season and during the Lakers’ drive for the Play-In Tournament title, Windhorst observed that the team played well on the perimeter. However, Reddish, a former Hawk who was also plagued by injuries that ended the Lakers season, was unable to continue.

In order to maximize Davis’ potential as their weak-side defender and cover for their defensively struggling backcourt, Windhorst pushed the Lakers to acquire a reliable 3-and-D wing.

“If you go back to the LeBron James formula that has been successful for more than ten years, you have LeBron James, another star player, and then a group of guys who can guard and shoot around him,” Windhorst stated. “That recipe is effective. Therefore, the Lakers have a chance to be a pretty good team in the West if they can figure out how to come closer to that formula. If they can sign a few of those players, they might also be a fun team.

The Lakers have a slim chance of winning because to James’ outstanding play during Team USA’s gold medal run in the Olympics, but this puts pressure on their front office to assemble a solid supporting group.

James is still listed by oddsmakers as a +5500 underdog to win the NBA Finals MVP award, despite the fact that he will turn 40 in December. This puts him just outside the top 10 sports betting favorites.

Windhorst believes that the Lakers’ greatest chance, short of making a trade, is to quickly develop Max Christie—who they signed a four-year, $32 million contract to be their 3-and-D wing—into their best player.

Why DeMar DeRozan Selected Kings Rather Than Lakers, Heat, and Other Issues.

The Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Miami HEAT were among the teams that shown interest in signing DeRozan. Why then are the Kings? Regarding this week’s episode of Podcast P featuring Paul George, DeRozan provided details.

“I just wanted to win at the highest level, wherever that might be,” the speaker said.When [Sacramento] arose, they demonstrated genuine interest, according to DeRozan. Thus, after taking a step back to examine it, I evaluated the squad. Great players. Fantastic coach. I just can’t stop thinking back to the past few years, when I watched them win and light this awful beam every time.

“Philly was undoubtedly a possibility. The Lakers were always a possibility. One approach was to use clippers. There was also the Heat as a choice. Those teams were undoubtedly genuine, personal choices that I was thinking about.

DeMar DeRozan, a free agent, was signed by the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade agreement worth $74 million for three years.

Breaking down the transaction, the Kings shipped Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for an unprotected 2031 draft selection.

According to sources, the Chicago Bulls will also receive cash, two second-round draft selections, and guard Chris Duarte. Although the Bulls don’t win this trade or this summer, when will they be able to sign free agents?

The Kings looked to add All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, and promising young big Keegan Murray to their lineup in an attempt to increase their offensive output in the fiercely competitive Western Conference. DeRozan was one of their targets.

Six-time All-Star DeRozan, who turns 35 next month, has had a successful three-year run with the Bulls. In his first two seasons, he was selected to the All-Star team, and in his most recent campaign, he averaged 24 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. In the vote for the NBA’s 2024 Clutch Player of the Year, he was surpassed by Stephen Curry.

In order to meet with team representatives and Kings coach Mike Brown—who recently inked an offseason contract extension—DeRozan came to Sacramento on Saturday. The team hasn’t had consecutive winning seasons under Brown’s leadership since 2006.

After being selected three times for the All-NBA team, DeRozan was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the ninth choice in the 2009 NBA draft. During his fifteen NBA seasons, he has played for the Raptors, Spurs, and Bulls. Over the course of his career, he has averaged 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 1,110 NBA games.