NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski says LA could stick with D-Lo beyond this season
Los Angeles was very active during the trade deadline and improved their roster mightily. The Lakers got younger and traded for guys with length, a department they struggled with this season.
The Lakers traded guard Russell Westbrook in exchange for Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell in a three-team deal.
Russell is the Lakers former No. 2 overall pick from the 2015 draft and spent his first two seasons in Los Angeles.
The 6-foot-4 guard was traded away in the 2017 offseason to the Brooklyn Nets and thrived in the Big Apple.
Now that D-Lo is back in LA, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski says the team could consider retaining him beyond this season.
“[The Lakers] have interest in talking about a contract extension,” Wojnarowski said about Russell, “Whether it’s during the season or after the season when he can be a free agent doing a new deal.”
The 26-year-old is an eight-year veteran currently averaging 17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 39.1% from behind the arc.
In his time away from the Lakers, he became an All-Star with the Nets and has solidified himself as an above-average guard in the league.
He came to LA as a 19-year-old kid — only one year removed from high school — and showed some immaturity in his first stint in the purple and gold.
The Kentucky native will be a free agent after this season, when his four-year, $117 million contract expires that he signed with the Nets in a sign-and-trade in 2019.
D-Lo is still young and could take the load off LeBron with ball handling or be a spot-up shooting threat when James is the ball handler.
I am certainly not opposed to bringing back Russell past this season, and if the Lakers want, they can always use him as a trade piece in the near future.
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