- Stephen A. Smith thinks D’Angelo Russell should be making around $25 million annually
- The Lakers traded for Russell last season
- Russell re-signed with the Lakers on a two-year $36 million and currently makes $18 million per year
The Los Angeles Lakers re-signed D’Angelo Russell to a two-year $36 million contract earlier this season. The Purple and Gold acquired Russell as part of a three-team trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.
Russell averaged 17.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists over 17 games in the 2022-23 NBA season. After several rumors suggesting that the Lakers may trade him in the summer, he returned to the organization. However, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes that the 27-year-old is underpaid right now.
“I believe he is being undervalued,” Smith said. “Listen, D’Angelo Russell can play. D’Angelo Russell, with all of your histrionics on the Pat Bev Podcast, let me explain something to you bro. You are undervalued. You deserve more than a two-year, $36 million contract. Matter of fact, I’m of the mindset that you should be getting paid at least $25 to $27 million per year.”
While Smith believes Russell is underpaid, he believes the 27-year-old poor performance in the postseason led to his current situation.
Smith added: “My problem with D’Angelo Russell is this stuff: When was the last time we saw you bro? You have any idea how god awful you were? Eight points, ten points, three points and four points in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the eventual champions.
“Do you have any idea, do you even realize that the Lakers don’t get swept if you, D’Angelo Russell, show up and you play better?”
.@stephenasmith believes D'Angelo Russell is undervalued 👀 pic.twitter.com/3TXi1XKnkl
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 3, 2023
D’Angelo Russell averaged just 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
His underwhelming performance was one of the primary reasons behind the Lakers getting swept by the Nuggets. Hopefully, Russell learns from his flaws and proves to be a valuable asset for the Lakers in the 2023-24 season.
D’Angelo Russell Opens Up On His Performance With The Lakers In The 2022-23 Season
Arriving to a team in the middle of the season is never easy for a player. After all, it provides them with very little time to get adjusted to the players.
Keeping these factors in mind, Russell recently claimed that he deserved more credit for how well he played for the Lakers last season.
“They ain’t talking about it, Pat! The f**k I gotta do, Pat? You want me to play point guard, I played point guard. You want me to play shooting guard, what do y’all want from me, man? I’m going 40 for three, what y’all want man?”
The Lakers finished the regular season with a 43-39 record as the seventh seed in the Western Conference, and they wouldn’t have advanced to the playoffs without Russell’s contributions.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
