It’s been an NBA offseason full of swings and misses for the L.A. Lakers .
Los Angeles has been linked to star-level players like Klay Thompson , who LeBron James claimed he was willing to take a pay cut for
Klay signed with the Dallas Mavericks . Paul George was a dream that was never coming true.
The Lakers have also reportedly held interest in role players like Brook Lopez , Bruce Brown , Cam Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jonas Valanciunas. LeBron and the Lakers struck out on those targets, too.
The team does have players who could be attractive to other teams, like Rui Hachimura , Jarred Vanderbilt and potentially Austin Reaves . The Lakers have been hesitant to include Reaves in any deal, however, and a combination of Hachimura, Vanderbilt and first-round picks won’t be enough to get a third star to place next to James and Anthony Davis .
LA’s most available trade chip, and the one that makes the most sense to move, is guard D’Angelo Russell . It’s been assumed all offseason that the Lakers are willing to move Russell, but the latest news only confirms that—and how desperate the franchise is to make any kind of upgrade.
Despite coming off one of his best seasons as a pro, LA is very willing to include the nine-year veteran in any trade that would bring in a third star, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
On his Buha’s Block podcast (h/t Bleacher Report), the Lakers beat reporter said the team has been shopping Russell from the moment he opted into his $18.7 million player option.
It hasn’t exactly been a secret that Russell has been available all offseason, and it’s likely no coincidence that a fresh report reminding the league’s 29 other teams that they can have the former All-Star point guard for the right price just popped up.
It only proves how desperate the Lakers are.
Russell was the team’s third-leading scorer behind James and Davis last season and shot a career-high 41.5 percent from three on 7.2 attempts per game while adding 6.3 assists a night. He’s on an attractive, expiring deal.
A player on the south side of 30 with that kind of production should have trade value.
But earlier this season, Buha said Russell is one of a handful of Lakers players with “neutral to negative trade value.”
