The first big domino to fall for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason could be what they end up doing with starting guard D’Angelo Russell, who is about to become a free agent.
He was the biggest piece they got in February’s Russell Westbrook trade that reconfigured their supporting cast and was the figurative defibrillator that salvaged their season. While Russell played very well in the regular season, he did just as poorly, if not more, when L.A. got swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets.
There have been reports that there is a good chance Russell will be leaving in some sort of a sign-and-trade deal. But The Athletic’s Jovan Buha wrote that the Lakers have been considering giving Russell a shorter deal in order to keep him around.
Via The Athletic:
“Given Russell’s inconsistent playoff performance and the lack of league-wide interest in him, the Lakers should have the upper-hand in contract negotiations. One framework the Lakers have discussed internally, according to multiple team sources not authorized to speak publicly, is signing Russell to a front-loaded two-year deal – either with an option in the second year or a straight two-year contract – that both gives him the salary he wants and keeps him on the same timeline as [LeBron] James (player option in 2024) and [Anthony] Davis (has an early termination option in 2024 and is eligible for a contract extension in August).”
Although he is far from the perfect ball-handling guard for L.A., Russell still has plenty of value for it if it is to make a serious run at the NBA championship next season.
