Plagued by drama and inconsistency over the course of his tenure in Los Angeles, D’Angelo Russell wound up being dealt off to Brooklyn in a salary dump after the 2016-2017 season. Since arriving in Brooklyn, Russell has emerged as one of the league’s most exciting scoring options. With a crafty set of moves that allow him to attack the rim paired with an increasingly consistent outside shot, Russell averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.
Despite being a restricted free agent, many feel Brooklyn may decide not to pursue Russell this offseason – especially if they wind up luring Kyrie Irving onboard. Irving and Russell share extremely similar styles of play where both are score-first point guards (if we want to get REALLY granular, both are probably closer to ball-dominant shooting guards stuck in a PG’s body). As a result, there are valid questions about how the two could coexist in the same backcourt.
If Irving winds up heading to Brooklyn, Russell would immediately become one of the most valuable free agents on the market. Still just heading into his age 23 season, Russell will be one of the youngest and most talented free agents to hit the open market.
Lakers Free Agency Updates: D’Angelo Russell Rumors Heating Up
Despite the Lakers trading Russell two summers ago, Rob Pelinka is calling the shots these days and former President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson, is out of the picture. The in-house change could potentially help sway Russell’s feelings towards the franchise that drafted him as he has been vocal that the fresh start in Brooklyn was crucial to his development this past season.
Despite all the awkward drama surrounding the reunion, rumors have been heating up regarding Russell heading back to the Lakers over the past few days. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus had some interesting insight on the matter and suggested that even Russell himself may be on board.
“Russell’s breakup with the Lakers wasn’t pretty, but it’s difficult to hold grudges in this league.” Pincus would add, “With Johnson gone, some close to Russell have indicated he may be open to the idea if Brooklyn isn’t in the picture.”
Especially if the Lakers strike out on top free agent targets Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving, trying to bring Russell back makes a lot of sense. Desperate for backcourt scoring, Russell provides that in spades and has a skillset where he should thrive when forced to share ball-handling duties with LeBron.
Other Lakers Free Agency Rumors
Aside from the aforementioned Russell and Irving, the Lakers have been rumored to be linked to nearly every big name free agent on the market – with the exception of injured Warriors Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
Aside from the top-tier max salary free agents, the Lakers have also been tied to a number of premier big men available in the draft. Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic is a name thrown around frequently while Al Horford – who recently joined the mix – could be an intriguing option to play alongside Anthony Davis.
While all these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, the fact remains that the Lakers look to be extremely active in free agency and will do everything in their power to make another big offseason splash before heading into the 2019-2020 season with a drastically revamped roster.
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Lakers Free Agency Updates: D’Angelo Russell Rumors Heating Up