D’Angelo Russell had his best performance of the season in the Lakers win over the Trail Blazers, scoring 34 points and creating some incredible highlights. However, Russell was morose after the game, with many saying he was crying. This led to intense speculation about a possible trade for Russell.
Evan Turner made a post on X where he claimed that the Lakers trading Russell would be a mistake because they’re looking exactly for a player like him.
“D Russ is a diff player with the rock, if the Lakers trade him then they just going to be looking for another player like him. 16 ppg with 6 assists while shooting 48% from the floor. Come on now, that’s I hoop for real.”
D Russ a diff player with the rock, if the lakers trade him then they just going to be looking for another player like him. 16 ppg with 6 assists while shooting 48% from floor
Come on now, that's I hoop for real
— Evan Turner (@thekidet) January 22, 2024
Russell was seen liking this post on X, indicating he does agree with how Turner is looking at the situation.
The Lakers reportedly have a standing offer with the Hawks which sends D’Lo, a 2029 First-Round pick, and a first-round pick swap to the franchise for Dejounte Murray. The Hawks are reportedly looking for a third team to route D’Lo to, so the only reason the deal hasn’t been made right now could be that.
Should The Lakers Still Move Off D’Angelo Russell?
When Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell signed contract extensions in the summer, it was clear with the amount and length of their contracts that the Lakers knew they may need to trade them for upgrades. Hachimura is also reportedly on the outs with the Lakers, but his name hasn’t popped up anywhere near the Hawks for a Dejounte trade. He could be a piece the Lakers send to the Raptors for Bruce Brown.
Russell is averaging 16.3 points and 6.1 assists in a very up-and-down season. His numbers don’t tell the whole story, as he was a big part of leading the team to wins earlier in the season but then was equally responsible for them losing games through December. He seems to have his form once again, averaging 27.2 points and 6.4 assists over the last five games as the Lakers have gone 4-1.
The problem with Russell is his consistency. The Lakers would believe that Dejounte Murray gives them a more consistent base of performances as their point guard, a position the Lakers haven’t figured out in the LeBron James era. They really might have figured it out with Russell, but it’s hard for the team to roll the dice with his inconsistency.
The Lakers will be exhausting all future assets in their name by making a trade for Murray, so the team needs to be careful. Regardless, a championship doesn’t look likely this season, so they could see the season out by trusting Russell and perhaps make a move for Murray in the offseason if things don’t go to plan.
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