Bleacher Report’s NBA insider Chris Haynes doesn’t believe D’Angelo Russell will be back with the Los Angeles Lakers next season.
Russell, 27, becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“I don’t think we’ll see D’Angelo Russell back with the Lakers, LeBron wants to fade more into the role as a secondary scorer and playmaker,” Haynes said.
The Lakers acquired Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the February trade deadline and the Ohio State product played well in his 17 games with Los Angeles, averaging 17.4 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 41.4% from beyond the arc. D’Lo helped the Lakers make the playoffs after the team started the season 2-10.
Russell put up good numbers in the first two rounds of the postseason versus the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. The Louisville native averaged 15.7 points and 5.0 assists and scored 31 points in Game 6 against the Grizzlies.
However, Russell played poorly versus the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. The one-time All-Star averaged only 6.3 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 32.3% from the field and 13.3% from 3. The Nuggets, behind two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and star point guard Jamal Murray, swept the Lakers.
According to Heavy Sports senior insider Sean Deveney, Lakers superstar small forward LeBron James is not a fan of Russell. LeBron wants Los Angeles to get Kyrie Irving, who also becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer like Russell.
“I hate to say one playoff series can change a franchise’s whole outlook on a guy because that just does not happen, but it is happening with some of the people in that building, maybe most significantly, with LeBron,” one Western Conference executive told Deveney. “Is this a guy they want to invest in? Does LeBron want him back — there is talk that he is not Russell’s biggest fan.”
Russell has career averages of 17.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists with the Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Warriors, and Timberwolves. It will be interesting to see where he’s playing next season.
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