Dejounte Murray could be first addition to JJ Redick's Lakers team

Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray.

JJ Redick is reportedly the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He replaces Darvin Ham, who was fired after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets.

GM Rob Pelinka is expected to be active during the offseason. He will undoubtedly want to give Redick a team that matches the front office's lofty expectations.

NBA insider Shams Charania recently told Pat McAfee that Dejounte Murray could emerge as a viable trade option for the Purple and Gold.

"The pressure's on the Lakers front office to make major changes on the roster to an extent," Charania said. "...One name that they did pursue last season at the trade deadline that I think teams around the league expect to come up again in trade conversations over the next week or so and makes sense for the Lakers is Dejounte Murray with the Hawks...The Lakers have maintained a level of interest in Dejounte Murray over the last several months."

Murray is the sort of versatile guard who could help elevate the Lakers. He's a proven commodity on both sides of the ball. Murray has proven that he can play alongside star talents, having done so with Trae Young in recent seasons. He would also give the Lakers the primary ball-handler and decision-maker they've been missing.

In the 78 regular-season games Murray played for the Atlanta Hawks this season, he averaged 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists. Interestingly, Atlanta was -2.3 points worse when he was on the floor than when he was on the bench. The Hawks' overall defensive issues potentially played a role in that, though.

Furthermore, it wouldn't make sense for the Lakers to acquire Murray without moving on from D'Angelo Russell. Murray is too good to be coming off the bench. It's unlikely Russell would be pleased with a role in Los Angeles' second unit, too.

Still, if Pelinka believes Murray could add the sort of two-way production the Lakers need in their backcourt, a move for him would be logical. He thrives with the ball in his hand, and his ability to penetrate off the dribble and make reads is ideal for a roster featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

This summer projects to be a busy one for Pelinka and the Lakers front office. Redick will have specific ideas on how he wants his team to play. If Murray helps achieve that, then a potential trade could be the start of Redick's roster reconstruction. After all, it would be unfair to ask him to run it back with the same team that cost Ham his job.

Want more articles like this? Follow Yardbarker on MSN to see more of our exclusive NBA content.

More must-reads:

Trending slideshow: 20 cities that deserve an NBA expansion team (Provided by Yardbarker)