NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player Hawks don't want from Lakers in Dejounte Murray deal

NBA Trade Rumors: If the Atlanta Hawks trade Dejounte Murray to the Los Angeles Lakers, there's one player they don't want back.

Heading into the final two weeks before the NBA Trade Deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most desperate teams in search of a deal. Considering where they find themselves in the Western Conference standings, they have to be exactly that at this point in the season.

However, one potential realistic trade that could end up moving the needle for the Lakers is a deal for Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Dejounte Murray.

Over the last week, the smoke surrounding a Murray trade to the Lakers has gained steam. And after the Miami Heat made the move for Terry Rozier, the chances that the Lakers end up with Murray just got a tad better. This is not to say that a Murray trade to the Lakers is a foregone conclusion, but there's at least a strong chance of it happening before the NBA Trade Deadline.

If a Lakers trade for Murray does materialize, however, there's one player that the Hawks reportedly don't want in a return package. According to a recent report, the Hawks aren't willing to take on D'Angelo Russell in any deal for Murray.

The Atlanta Hawks prioritize flexibility and draft capital ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline

This should be considered far from surprising. Russell has a nearly $19 million player option for next season and it's increasingly unlikely he's going to decline that. If the Hawks' goal is to gain more flexibility and future draft capital in any potential Murray deal, it would make little sense for Russell to be part of the return package.

That's why finding a third team could be what ends up making or breaking a potential Murray to the Lakers deal. But that could be easier said than done for the Lakers and Hawks considering Russell has been pretty inconsistent all season long.

The good news is that Russell has played significantly better over the last two weeks but it's going to be hard-pressed for any team to be willing to give up real trade assets for a player that is hit or miss on most nights.

Even though there's a real chance Murray ends up getting traded to the Lakers ahead of the deadline, it appears there's still plenty of work that needs to be done between the Lakers and Hawks before it actually gets done. It's certainly one of the deals to watch far as we get closer and closer to the deadline.