Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell intends to exercise the player option on his contract for the 2024-25 season, he told Jordan Richard of Swish Cultures. Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed the news.
“I love what [new Lakers head coach] JJ [Redick] is about, and I really see myself thriving under his guidance to help win at a high level," Russell told McMenamin.
The move will guarantee Russell’s $18,692,307 salary for next season. Rather than becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer, the 28-year-old will postpone his free agency until 2025, remaining on the two-year, $36M deal he signed with the Lakers last July.
Russell is coming off one of the best seasons of his NBA career. He averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game across 76 regular season outings (69 starts), posting a shooting line of .456/.415/.828.
However, he struggled for a second straight spring vs. Denver in the postseason. His 2024 playoff averages dipped to 14.2 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 2.8 RPG on .384/.318/.500 shooting. A year earlier, he shot just 32.3% (13.3% on threes) in the Western Conference finals vs. the Nuggets and was removed from the starting five.
Russell’s player option decision was considered one that could go either way since opting out would’ve given him more control over his future. Opting in will lock in his 2024-25 salary, but it doesn’t necessarily ensure he’ll remain in Los Angeles since he looks like a prime trade candidate for a Lakers team seeking roster upgrades.
Russell ($18.7M), Rui Hachimura ($17M), and Gabe Vincent ($11M) have been viewed as a few possible outgoing salary-matching pieces in the event L.A. takes a swing on the trade market for another impact player to complement star forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Of those three players, only Russell is on an expiring contract — Hachimura and Vincent each have guaranteed salaries for 2025-26.
The Lakers are expected to be “aggressive in pursuing Russell-centric trades,” team and league sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. If Russell does remain with the Lakers, he could reclaim his starting point guard role next season. Still, Buha says the team considers the Russell/Austin Reaves backcourt duo to have a “clear ceiling” and prefers to keep Reaves, who is younger, a better defender, and on a more team-friendly contract.
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