The Lakers acquired D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota last week as part of a three-team blockbuster trade that also sent Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles.
Russell is playing on a $31.38M expiring contract and could hit free agency this summer. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on NBA Countdown (YouTube link) that there’s mutual interest between Russell and the Lakers in discussing a contract extension.
Based on Wojnarowski’s wording, those conversations have yet to begin, but there’s an expectation the two sides will come together in the coming weeks and months.
The Lakers don’t view Russell as a mere rental player, with Wojnarowski noting that they gave up their 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected) and a couple of second-rounders as part of the deal. There’s hope that the 26-year-old could be a “solution at that point guard position,” Wojnarowski said.
Russell is having a strong year from an efficiency standpoint, posting a .465/.387/.853 shooting slash line for a career-high .601 true shooting percentage. Through 56 games (32.9 MPG) with the Wolves and Lakers, he’s averaging 17.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.1 SPG.
In other Lakers-related news, LeBron James (foot/ankle) returned from a three-game absence on Wednesday, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Head coach Darvin Ham used a new starting lineup featuring Russell, Beasley, James, Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis.
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