The Los Angeles Lakers entered the summer looking to make some moves following an early playoff exit. But to this point, Los Angeles has only re-signed a few of its players back.
They got some expected depth along the roster with players opting into player options, including point guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell has been subject to trade rumors since last season and the team had been looking to move him earlier this summer.
On one of his latest episodes of Buha’s Block podcast, insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic revealed that the Lakers are still looking to deal Russell this offseason.
“If you are the Lakers and you are potentially doing a D’Lo trade at some point as they have been shopping him and trying to move him since he opted in.”
This shouldn’t surprise anyone that has followed the team since the season ended but the Lakers have been fairly inactive this summer so far. Russell is scheduled to make $18.6 million this year, giving the Lakers a nice trade chip.
With Russell being an expiring contract, his value may increase around the league. However, some teams may be more willing to take on Russell around the trade deadline rather than having to pay him his entire salary now.
Los Angeles is thin along the point guard position so moving Russell could hurt the roster depending on what the team would receive back. The Lakers have been linked to a few wings in a potential Russell trade, such as Jerami Grant of the Portland Trail Blazers.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers will move Russell or if they will bring him into the season to try to deal him at the trade deadline. If Russell were to be traded, the Lakers would need to find a replacement for him quickly.
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