Getty Wenyen Gabriel and D'Angelo Russell
After the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Los Angeles Clippers on April 5, D’Angelo Russell issued a concerning statement about his left foot injury.
The All-Star point guard said he will have to continue to manage his injury moving forward, indicating that the pain and soreness may not go away anytime soon.
Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell on his sore left foot: “Definitely something to manage. Just wear and tear; long season.”
The Lakers acquired Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the trade deadline. D’Lo, who is averaging 17.0 points and 6.3 assists with the LakeShow while shooting 39.4% from 3-point range, has missed nine games with Los Angeles.
The Clippers beat the Lakers by a final score of 125-118 at Crypto.com Arena. Russell played 39 minutes and finished with 15 points and seven assists on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 shooting from 3.
The purple and gold dropped to 41-39 with the loss. They are in seventh place in the Western Conference standings with two games left in the regular season.
D’Angelo Russell Is Eligible for a $67.5 Million Extension
Russell is eligible through June 30 to sign a two-year, $67.5 million extension with the Lakers, according to ESPN NBA front-office insider Bobby Marks. The lefty becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer if he and Los Angeles don’t agree to an extension.
“Russell is eligible through June 30 to sign a two-year, $67.5 million extension,” Marks wrote on April 5. “He is an unrestricted free agent if an agreement is not reached by then. Russell has established Bird rights, allowing the Lakers to sign the guard to a new contract and exceed the salary cap.”
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Russell wants to re-sign with the Lakers this offseason. The Ohio State product, who was drafted by the Lakers with the second overall pick in 2015, is happy to be back in Los Angeles.
“D’Angelo Russell very much wanted a second chance in LA with the Lakers and you’ve seen the impact he made coming back against Toronto the other night, playing great in a win, and again tonight,” Wojnarowski said on March 12 (h/t RealGM). “He wants to be the point guard of the future for this organization. He’ll be a free agent this summer.”
Lakers great Magic Johnson, who traded Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2017 when he was working in LA’s front office, told Bryan Kalbrosky of For The Win back in February that Russell “has really grown and matured.”
The Lakers Wanted a Young Guard Next to LeBron James & Anthony Davis
The Lakers could have acquired Mike Conley from the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline. However, the franchise wanted a young guard next to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
“Some factions of the Los Angeles front office preferred a younger ballhandler than Conley to support LeBron James and Anthony Davis, sources said, and maintaining future financial wiggle room was of some priority to the Lakers,” Fischer wrote on April 5. “Los Angeles, having pivoted from pursuing Kyrie Irving from Brooklyn, set its sights on Minnesota’s starting ballhandler, D’Angelo Russell, instead.”
Conley is 35, while Russell is 27. The Lakers will face the Phoenix Suns and Jazz to close out the regular season. Both games will be at home.
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Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell Issues Concerning Statement on His Foot Injury