D’Angelo Russell is available for trade offers from teams interested in negotiating with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the latest episode of Buha’s Block (starting at the 16:30 mark), Jovan Buha from The Athletic mentioned that the Lakers have been exploring trade options for Russell ever since he opted into his $18.7 million contract for the upcoming season.
It’s not unexpected that the Lakers are looking to trade Russell. His placement on the trade block was anticipated as soon as he opted in, primarily because the team lacks other significant avenues to enhance their roster.
LeBron James was prepared to accept a reduced contract to free up the full mid-level exception of $12.9 million, provided the Lakers could secure an impactful player.
However, when the Lakers failed to acquire Klay Thompson, the idea of James taking a substantial pay cut was no longer viable. He did agree to $2.7 million less than his maximum to keep the Lakers under the second apron, but this only left them $45,000 below that threshold.
Despite Russell playing on an expiring contract, teams are not necessarily eager to trade valuable assets merely for long-term financial relief.
Buha noted that Russell is among several Lakers players with trade value ranging from neutral to negative across the league.
Russell had one of his best NBA seasons recently, averaging 18.0 points on 41.5 percent three-point shooting and 6.3 assists per game over 76 games.
Historically, though, Russell has been an inconsistent shooter and a ball-dominant point guard who doesn’t always prioritize involving his teammates.
If the Lakers want to receive significant value in return for Russell, they might benefit from starting the 2024-25 season with him on the roster. This strategy allows other teams to evaluate their needs and potentially make a move for an expiring contract to free up cap space for the next summer.
