Lakers Do Not View Russell as a Core Player; Future May Depend on Shooting and Defense

September 12 news, according to reports, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup planning for the new season, they do not view D’Angelo Russell as a core member of the team.

Earlier, well-known sports journalist Tim Bontemps mentioned during a program that Austin Reaves is considered part of the Lakers’ future core, whereas Russell is not, which is why the latter is currently on a two-year contract. This is also why he chose to exercise his player option this summer because he knows there won’t be much demand in the market.

“Ultimately, if the Lakers are to become the kind of competitive championship team people hope for, theoretically, what they really need to do is turn Russell into a player who can shoot three-pointers and defend,” said Bontemps.

A few months ago, Chris Haynes reported that the Lakers had attempted to trade Russell to the Golden State Warriors for Klay Thompson, but the Warriors were not interested in re-acquiring the 28-year-old player.

“I heard that the Lakers offered a fairly attractive deal,” Haynes said when discussing the Lakers’ attempt to acquire Thompson. “Something around three or four years, at about $20 million per year, but it didn’t work out.”

“This would obviously require a sign-and-trade scenario, and the Lakers needed to make a sign-and-trade deal, but this trade did not materialize. I heard that this trade might have included D’Angelo Russell, but the Warriors were not interested in bringing back Russell.”

This summer, Russell chose to exercise his player option for the 2024-25 season rather than opting out to test free agency. Last season, during the regular season, he was the Lakers’ third-best player behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In terms of scoring, he was the team’s third-highest scorer, averaging 18.0 points with a shooting percentage of 45.6% and a three-point shooting percentage of 41.5%. He also averaged 6.3 assists, ranking second on the team (James averaged a team-high 8.3 assists).

However, when the 2024 NBA Playoffs arrived and the Lakers faced off against the Denver Nuggets, Russell’s performance dropped significantly compared to the regular season. Against the 2023 NBA champions, his scoring and efficiency were noticeably lower than expected, averaging only 14.2 points with a shooting percentage of just 38.4%.

Considering Russell’s failure to provide scoring support in crucial moments for the Lakers during the 2024 NBA Playoffs, it is clear why he is not viewed as a core member of the team’s future.