Every contender needs capable players who outperform their contracts to boost their championship hopes. For the Los Angeles Lakers, that man is D’Angelo Russell.
The man who has been performing well for the Purple and Gold has been doing quite well for himself this season, and the Lakers front office are interested in keeping him for longer to become one of the team’s pillars when LeBron James inevitably leaves the team.
While Russell has been performing well, they now face a dilemma that will make their team-building approach a lot more difficult.
D’Angelo Russell’s value in free agency might make it tough for the Los Angeles Lakers to keep him
Russell signed a two-year, $36-million contract with the Lakers in the summer of 2023 to keep him on the roster. He’s been quite an acquisition for Lakers as he managed to keep his production despite getting less touches than James and Anthony Davis.
His season averages currently sit at 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 0.9 steals while shooting 46% from the floor and 43% from deep. Moreover, he’s showing his value during important games: Russell was critical during the Lakers’ victory over the Milwaukee Bucks despite missing LeBron due to injury.
Since the final year of his contract is a Player Option, it wouldn’t be strange for the Ohio State product to test his value in free agency before agreeing to fresh terms with the Lakers.
The Lakers have a huge rival for Russell’s services in the Spurs
The Lakers can breathe a little easy with the knowledge that Russell is still interested in returning to LA even if he rejects his player option. However, they have a tough opponent in free agency if the San Antonio Spurs identify Russell as their primary target in the summer.
Jason Reed of Lake Show Life writes why the Los Angeles Lakers might have a tough time preventing Russell from joining the Spurs:
It has been well-documented that the Spurs need a point guard to pair next to Victor Wembanyama. Not giving Wembanyama a true point guard who can help facilitate the offense and space the floor has limited what he can do offensively (and he still already looks like a top-25 player in the league).
There are other options available on the market (such as Tyus Jones) but none have the ceiling that Russell has. As Russell has proven this season, he has the ability to take over games and is good enough to elevate the Spurs into playoff contention with strong regular-season play.
If D’Angelo Russell thinks that there’s a better future for him with the Spurs, the Lakers will have to scramble to find another serviceable point guard that can take over ballhandling duties from LeBron. However, the team hopes that it doesn’t reach that point.
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