Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell. Soobum Im-Imagn Images

D'Angelo Russell takes a veiled shot at Lakers

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jan 22, 2025 8:23 AM ET

Nets guard D'Angelo Russell seemingly holds a grudge against the Lakers for trading him twice within the span of a few years.

After dropping 23 points and 10 assists in the Nets' 99-95 loss to the Knicks on Tuesday, Russell implied that he wasn't allowed to play "free basketball" during his multiple stints in Los Angeles.

"I'll never take being able to play free basketball like this for granted again," Russell told reporters, via ClutchPoints' Erik Slater. "This is a style of play that, obviously we [Nets] have the best performance team as well. They keep guys fresh and in-shape and keep them prepared for the minutes and the load they're about to play in."

Russell added that he has confidence in the Nets training staff to put him "in the best positions" to succeed.

D’Angelo Russell on adjusting to his role with the Nets after his trade from the Lakers:

"I'll never take being able to play free basketball like this for granted again." pic.twitter.com/mcbVZK6jfh
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 22, 2025

The comments were a subtle shot at the Lakers, especially the part about not taking the Nets' playing style for granted.

Russell never truly found his footing during his second stint with the Lakers. Upon arriving from the Timberwolves in Feb. 2023, he was handed the role of the starting point guard by Darvin Ham but quickly fell out of favor after a disastrous 2023 playoff run. A similar trend followed in the 2023-24 season as Russell had several publicized clashes with Ham and blamed the ex-Lakers coach for underutilizing him.

The veteran guard was expected to fare better under JJ Redick, who challenged him to produce a "career year" in their first season together as coach-player. Instead, Russell fell out of the starting unit within the first dozen games of the 2024-25 season. As the season progressed, he nearly fell out of the rotation in favor of Max Christie, Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent, leading to his trade to Brooklyn.

Russell was originally drafted with the No. 2 overall pick by the Lakers in 2015. He lasted only two seasons before being shipped to the Nets ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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