After returning from a minor injury, D’Angelo Russell has seen his form improve, as he was crucial for the Lakers in a 127-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks tonight. Darvin Ham praised Russell after the game, giving him support while he’s heavily rumored to be traded.
“We re-signed him because we knew he could help us. We believe in him. Everyone keeps talking about it, it’s that time of year, I guess, with the trade talks. Everyone understands that in this business if you have the opportunity to get better, you do that. The reality of it is that we have what we had last year… If we stop looking around and look at ourselves, there’s a ton of excellent basketball play we can play. Ton of game we can win with this group as it is constructed. He’s right at the forefront of that.”
Darvin Ham talking about D’Angelo Russell:
"We re-signed him because we knew he could help us. We believe in him… It's that time of year, I guess, with the trade talks…” pic.twitter.com/ZIA6blU9uf
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) January 18, 2024
Russell has averaged 27.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists over the last three games, scoring 29 in the win over the Mavs tonight. The team has picked up two high-quality wins against playoff-caliber Western teams and Russell’s form has greatly boosted their ability to close these games out.
He was expected to be the starting point guard for the Lakers for the season, but after a bad stretch of form in December, where he averaged 10.4 points in 13 games, Russell was benched and saw his role decrease while popping up in multiple trade rumors.
Unless there’s a clear needle-moving upgrade available at the deadline, it’s likely the Lakers protect Russell and make peripheral trades to bolster their rotation without acquiring a star-level player. But if someone like Dejounte Murray can be acquired for the right price, the Lakers may disregard what Ham just said and move Russell for a bonafide third star.
Who Can The Lakers Trade For An Upgrade?
One of the redeeming factors of the Lakers offseason was the fact that they signed three rotational players (D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves) to mid-range contracts, making them easy to trade if needed. However, all three players have shown utility in their roles which makes moving them challenging. A star trade means at least two of these players will be moved, leaving a shortfall of production in the rotation.
Russell’s strong early-season form and recent success have proven that a high-performing guard can boost the Lakers’ winning chances. Unfortunately, his consistency has been questionable his entire career and was a reason the Lakers got swept in the Western Conference Finals. Austin Reaves has been the Lakers’ most reliable third scorer and has long-term upside LA doesn’t want to give up on.
Hachimura may be the odd-man out, unable to solidify a position in the Lakers frontcourt rotation. He may be who the Lakers have to give up. If they wanted to, Hachimura and Jalen Hood-Schifino along with an unprotected 2029 pick could be a useful package, especially when targeting a smaller contract star like Dejounte.
The options for the Lakers are aplenty, but moving any of their rotational players brings challenges that they’ll have to address with other trades or shrewd buyout market additions.
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