The Los Angeles Lakers have to pony up Austin Reaves if they want Atlanta Hawks’ Dejounte Murray.

That is the sentiment now after Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike found out the Hawks’ asking price for Murray in their past trade talks with another team.

“NBA insiders said the Hawks, in their discussions with the Knicks, talked about a Dejounte Murray trade with Atlanta seeking Immanuel Quickley and a first-round pick,” Woike wrote on January 13.

The Hawks are seeking to recoup close to what they have invested in Murray one-and-a-half season ago. Their previous front office gave up three first-round picks, two of which were unprotected, and an unprotected pick swap to acquire Murray from the San Antonio Spurs, who are also interested in reuniting with their former All-Star guard.

“If the cost to get Murray is a first-round pick and a win-now young player (the Raptors elected for two of those players in lieu of a first-round pick in their trade of OG Anunoby to the Knicks), the Lakers can’t really meet it without Reaves. Sources say there have been no discussions about trading Reaves,” Woike wrote.

According to TNT/Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, “The Lakers want to push the pace offensively and are interested in someone who can serve as a point-of-attack defender.”

Murray fits the mold.

Can Lakers Expand Dejounte Murray Trade if Austin Reaves Is Included?
An NBA executive pitched an expanded trade idea to ESPN’s Zach Lowe if the Hawks insist on getting Reaves back in the potential Murray deal.

“I had an [NBA] executive from another team spitball with me yesterday (January 11), could the Lakers, if Reaves is involved, construct a bigger deal where they get Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovich, the sharpshooter they so badly need? Now that’s got to include Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, more draft compensation and Jalen Hood-Schifino,” Lowe said on “NBA Today” on January 12.

But pulling off such a complex deal is easier said than done.

“It just starts to get super complicated, particularly with the Lakers already over the tax and near the hard cap as Bobby Marks reminded me. These deals — the more players you add to them, the harder they are to construct but for a player of Dejounte Murray’s caliber, I think the Hawks are rightfully going to say we need Austin Reaves and the Lakers are going to say oh that doesn’t seem awesome for us. It’s a tough, tough spot.”

Alternative Austin Reaves Trade
If the Hawks insist on a Reaves for Murray swap without getting more value, NBA front office insider Bobby Marks suggested an alternative trade option for Rob Pelinka.

“If I’m the Lakers, I’d see about Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan, but you might have to give up Austin Reaves in that type of deal. DeRozan could become a free agent, and Caruso’s got one of the better contracts.”

DeRozan would give the Lakers the third scoring punch while Caruso’s return could solve the Lakers’ perimeter defensive woes.

However, the Bulls have not indicated that Caruso is available.