One of the big questions surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason is what they will do with starting point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Russell can opt out of his contract to become a free agent this summer after signing a two-year deal with a player option for a second year last offseason. At least one report has indicated that he is expected to opt out.
If he leaves, it would hamper the Lakers, as they would lose a big trade asset for nothing. According to Lakers insider Anthony Irwin, their intention is to keep him on a big one-year deal, possibly in order to then trade him.
Via Lakers Daily:
“When Russell re-signed last summer, he and his team were offered a choice: a big-money, one-year deal or the contract he took, which was for less money per season with a second-year player option,” wrote Irwin.
“Now, the Lakers, I’m told, are going to try harder to make sure he takes a one-year deal that would be easier to move at the deadline, if not this summer, but are somewhat wary of his market given how he played in the regular season. Reports have already linked him to the Orlando Magic given their dearth of scoring from their guard positions.
“Russell had a good regular season but once again sputtered in the playoffs, a trend that has followed him everywhere he’s played. Sources say the Lakers tried to trade him at the deadline, but no team wanted to acquire him because of the leverage he’d have heading into the summer with that player option.
“The Lakers understand the limitations that come with a backcourt pairing of Russell and Austin Reaves, especially on the defensive side, and will likely try to sign-and-trade Russell. But if they don’t find an offer they like this summer, they’re open to running it back with the intent to upgrade at the deadline, hopefully with Russell on a large expiring contract.”
Russell averaged 18.0 points and 6.3 assists a game while shooting a career-high 41.5% from 3-point range during the regular season. But as he did in last year’s Western Conference Finals when L.A. was swept by the Denver Nuggets, he struggled in the first round of this year’s playoffs against those same Nuggets.
He played very well in L.A.’s lone win, which came in Game 4. But overall, he shot just 38.4% from the field and 31.8% from downtown, and he went scoreless in a Game 3 loss that seemed to seal his team’s fate.
As a result, he may not have a ton of demand on the open market this summer.
