The Los Angeles Lakers have some big decisions to make this offseason, with one of them being what they should do with D’Angelo Russell. Russell is expected to opt out of his $18.6 million player option for 2024-25 to become a free agent and Lakers insider Anthony Irwin states there are three ways this situation can pan out.
The first is that the Lakers will try to sign and trade Russell. While the playoffs went horribly wrong for the 28-year-old, he had a solid regular season, with averages of 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
Russell also shot 41.6% from beyond the arc and someone with that profile is in-demand in the league. Teams like the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs have been linked with him and the Lakers seem to be hoping they can strike a deal.
Suppose there is no deal on the table that the Lakers like, they are reportedly open to offering Russell a sizable one-year deal. That would mean they’d have the one-time All-Star as an expiring contract to offer in trades before the deadline next year. If Russell was on a long-term deal, some teams might have had reservations about acquiring him, so this move does make sense.
The last scenario is the one that the Lakers would love to avoid. Russell could just opt out and then sign with whichever team he wants in free agency. He won’t be obliged to help out the Lakers with a sign and trade and could do whatever he wants, as he would be an unrestricted free agent.
Teams like the Magic and the Spurs have the cap space to just sign Russell to a big deal in the summer, so the Lakers could end up losing him for nothing. That wouldn’t be ideal, to say the least, but they only have themselves to blame for Russell being in a position of power.
D’Angelo Russell Shared His Thoughts On The Future
After LA was eliminated in the first round in five games by the Denver Nuggets in these playoffs, Russell was asked about his future with the Lakers and he kept his cards close to his chest.
“When I signed my contract last year, I knew what position I was going to put myself in, so to be in that position now with a little leverage, I’ll try to take advantage of it.”
Russell also claimed that he had quite an impressive year when asked about the season.
“Oh, hell of a year by D’Angelo, humbly saying that. Through the ups and downs. Through all the, whatever you want to call it, it never bothered me. I always kept myself sane. When I look at my phone, my family, my friends, and my circle, just texting me telling me how proud they are of me. For me, that’s all I need. I don’t need anything else.”
While that is one way to look at it, there is no debating the fact that the end of the season was quite terrible. Russell averaged just 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in the series against the Nuggets and that is a big reason why the Lakers are reportedly trying to move on. They’re just hoping they get something in return for him.
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