According to NBA insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers will shop D’Angelo Russell after the guard picked up his 2024-25 player option worth $18.7 million.
“How long Russell remains a Laker is another matter altogether,” Buha wrote. “After failing to trade Russell ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, the Lakers are expected to be aggressive in pursuing Russell-centric trades, according to league and team sources. Russell’s expiring contract immediately becomes one of Los Angeles’ more valuable trade assets, particularly for salary-matching purposes.”
Russell told NBA reporter Dave McMenamin of ESPN he wants to stay with the Lakers and play for new head coach JJ Redick.
“I love what JJ is about and I really see myself thriving under his guidance to help win at a high level,” Russell told ESPN.
A one-time All-Star, Russell averaged 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks in 2023-24 while shooting 45.6% from the field, 41.5% from beyond the arc and 82.8% from the free-throw line.
The Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 playoffs in five games. Denver also beat Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals in four games.
According to NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic, LeBron James and Anthony Davis want the Lakers to acquire “another elite player.”
LeBron, 39, has declined his 2024-25 player option, but he will sign a new deal with Los Angeles.
“James has the leverage that comes with his forthcoming free agency, as he has until Saturday to decide whether to pick up his $51.4 million player option or opt out and sign a new deal (with the Lakers or elsewhere),” Amick wrote. “Davis, meanwhile, has the organizational capital that comes with being a 31-year-old, nine-time All-Star who is signed through the 2027-28 season. And if the franchise cornerstones had their way, league sources say, the Lakers would prove their desire to win this week by going all-in for another elite player.”
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