D'Angelo Russell to re-sign with Lakers for two years, $37 million, per report
The Lakers acquired Russell in a February trade
By
Sam Quinn
•
2 min read
D'Angelo Russell is re-signing with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $37 million deal with a player option on the second season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Russell, who began his career as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Lakers, has taken a circuitous route back to Southern California after several tenures with other teams.
The Lakers traded Russell to the Brooklyn Nets just two years into his career to help create the cap space that would later be used to sign LeBron James. In Brooklyn, he grew into an All-Star during the 2018-19 season, and when the Nets planned to move on from him to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Golden State Warriors swooped in and landed him in a sign-and-trade arrangement for Durant. They would go on to flip Russell for Andrew Wiggins and the draft pick that became Jonathan Kuminga to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There, he paired up with close friend Karl-Anthony Towns, but the pair experienced only limited success together. Russell never made it back to the All-Star Game, and they reached the playoff just once. In February, the Timberwolves sent Russell to the Lakers as part of the Russell Westbrook blockbuster and landed Mike Conley in the process.
Russell's second stint with the Lakers has thus far been mixed. He immediately stepped in as their new starting point guard, and he helped get the Lakers to the Western Conference finals with a few huge playoff moments. His three 3-pointers in Game 4 of the Memphis series and his 31-point clincher against Golden State in the second round were essential to this team's postseason success, but in the end, the Denver Nuggets managed to play him off of the floor in the Western Conference finals, and by the fourth game of the sweep, Russell had ceded his spot in the starting lineup to Dennis Schroder. On Friday, the Lakers added Gabe Vincent as possible competition for Russell at point guard.
But LeBron James will turn 39 this season, and the Lakers desperately need ball-handlers to help ease his burden on offense. Russell can do that. He may struggle on defense and his postseason track record is spotty, but the Lakers needed a point guard that could fit alongside James and carry a bigger load when he sits. That is Russell, and the Lakers can now move forward knowing that James won't have to run the entire offense next season.
