The Los Angeles Lakers have been the NBA’s least active franchise in terms of free agency and trades.
It’s somewhat unexpected after making it out of the NBA Play-In Tournament only to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this year.
LeBron James is returning. JJ Redick is the Lakers’ new head coach. Bronny, James’ son, was taken in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.
These are the three stories that have dominated the Lakers’ offseason thus far. It doesn’t take a genius to see that general manager Rob Pelinka must make a huge move if this team is to be considered a credible NBA title contender. That is not the reality as things are right now.
Los Angeles does have assets, including as draft selections and expiring contracts, to give to other teams. It now appears that the team is attempting to achieve precisely that.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers have been marketing point guard D’Angelo Russell around the league in trade negotiations. Russell exercised the $18.7 million play option on his contract for next season. At that point, it appeared that he was going to be transported. However, this is the first actual study indicating such.
Ideal landing destinations for Los Angeles Lakers player D’Angelo Russell.
Russell’s contract is about to expire and could be worth anything. However, there is some intricacy here. Los Angeles would need to find a replacement at point guard. Whether it comes from a Russell trade or another source, it must be considered.
With that in mind, consider these three perfect D’Angelo Russell trade possibilities.
Brooklyn Nets: The Lakers are soon running out of ways to strengthen their club. Would they take drastic steps to assist Ben Simmons turn things around? We’ve seen stranger things happen. In this scenario, Russell would join Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent in Brooklyn. Simmons’ $40 million contract is set to expire next summer, providing salary cap flexibility. In exchange, the Nets receive some second-round picks to make things work.
Utah Jazz: This would essentially be a one-for-one trade, with the Lakers potentially transferring draft capital to Utah. In this scenario, the Jazz acquire Russell in exchange for Collin Sexton. He’s rumoured to be on the trade block and would be a far better match for the Lakers than Russell.
San Antonio Spurs: Tre Jones appears to be a great fit for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is a natural point guard with excellent distribution skills. That is not Russell’s strong suit. Los Angeles exchanges Jones and big man Zach Collins for Russell and Gabe Vincent. The team then invests some draft capital to make it worthwhile for San Antonio.
Leave a Reply