Were Dejounte Murray trade talks stuck because of 'Lakers tax'? Explaining popular NBA Twitter theory

The LA Lakers stayed put at the trade deadline despite being linked with several NBA stars like Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks. Murray remained with the Hawks even though there was a lot of interest in him around the league, but why did the Lakers fail to acquire Murray from Atlanta?

According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the Lakers were active at the deadline and were in trade discussions with several teams. Some of the players they tried to acquire include Murray, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bruce Brown Jr. and Tyus Jones.

However, there seems to be an imposed "Lakers tax" on the historic franchise from rival teams. That means the Lakers were asked to part ways with a handful of picks and a player like Austin Reaves in exchange for a role player.

The term "Lakers tax" has been a talk on NBA Twitter since the trade deadline, and Jovan Buha's report may have confirmed that it's real. The Lakers being unable to make any moves at the deadline meant thta they did not reach an agreement with any team regarding a player.

While it's difficult to argue the existence of the "Lakers tax" given what just transpired, it could also be explained that Rob Pelinka didn't like any of the deals that were presented to him.

Pelinka is unlikely to make a trade that wouldn't make sense for the future of the team, especially if teams are asking for multiple first-round picks:

"We tried everything we could, and again, the market is the market," Pelinka said. "There were very, very few sellers. I don't think, today, on the deadline day, there were many marquee players moved.

"There were a lot of buyers, and as everyone knows, when the market has few sellers and tons of buyers, the prices are very, very aggressive. And sometimes no move is better than an unwise move."

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Lakers preserving three firsts for big NBA offseason splash

LA Lakers looking to have a big NBA offseason.

The LA Lakers will have three first-round picks available for trade at the end of the season. Those three are valuable, especially the picks from 2029 and 2031 because there's no telling how the Lakers will look then.

The Lakers could remain playoff contenders or could be one of the worst teams in the league. Nevertheless, it's valuable for teams looking to build their future after a superstar asks out.

Buha reported that the Lakers could use their three available first-round picks to acquire an NBA superstar this offseason. Some of the names they are looking to get this summer include Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young and Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks.

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