dpThe Los Angeles Lakers are on the lookout for two-way wings this summer. That’s exactly the type of player that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka needs to surround Luka Doncic with. In potentially moving on from one-dimensional players like Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard, the Lakers would be wise to bring in guys who fit the Trey Murphy III prototype (even if Murphy himself is difficult to acquire): young, long, athletic, and defensively sound.
The Lakers might want to consider trading for Keegan Murray
Sacramento Kings wing Keegan Murray isn’t a clone of Murphy; he’s closer to San Antonio Spurs wing Devin Vassell, an observation that NBA analyst Iztok Franko made during a recent episode of the Buha’s Block podcast. Franko likes Murray as a trade target for the Lakers.
“One other guy that I was thinking [for the Lakers] was Keegan Murray in Sacramento,” Franko said. “He reminds me of Devin Vassell … He’s a guy who can defend the bigs and can do more than just be a standstill shooter.”
The Lakers need to be prepared to hit the trade market this summer if their restricted free-agent targets on the wing (most notably, Peyton Watson) don’t work out. Could Murray be the answer?
Unpacking Keegan Murray’s potential fit with the Lakers
Judging Murray on the 2025-26 season isn’t where it’s at, since Murray suffered from multiple injuries and only appeared in 23 games for Sacramento. You have to look at his first three seasons, in which Murray averaged 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the Kings on 37.2% from 3, appearing in 76 games or more in all three of those campaigns.
A No. 4 overall pick by the Kings out of Iowa in 2022, Murray finished No. 5 in Rookie of the Year voting and has already established himself as a winning player in league circles, which is an impressive feat when you’re playing for the Kings. A change of scenery could make Murray look even better.
As Iztok noted, Murray can guard big guys, which could make him a replacement defensively for Hachimura, who often played the 4 or even the 5 during small-ball lineups for JJ Redick. Offensively, while Murray isn’t the shooter that Hachimura is, he’s a younger, more dynamic athlete and more versatile overall player than Hachimura.
The other question about Murray is whether or not the Kings would actually be willing to trade him, considering they signed him to a five-year extension in October that begins this coming season. They clearly like Murray and invested in him because of it. At any rate, Pelinka should check in.
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