Arguably the biggest question mark for the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the offseason was D’Angelo Russell and what he would do with his player option.
Russell is coming off a stellar regular season with the Lakers and seemed to be in for a bigger payday in free agency than his $18.7 million player option. He even said he planned to use the leverage he thought to have created for himself to his advantage.
After another tough postseason series though, Russell obviously wasn’t expecting to have many, if any, suitors in free agency. Things started trending to him deciding to opt in leading up to the deadline, and that was what he ultimately decided to do.
Now that Russell is an expiring contract for the 2024-25 season, the Lakers have the choice of either keeping him and hoping he could build off last year, or include him in a trade to make changes to the roster.
According to reports by Dan Woike of the L.A. Times, Dave McMenamin of ESPN and Jordan Richard of Swish Cultures, if it were up to Russell, which it no longer is, he would be staying with the Lakers:
D’Angelo Russell tells me he intends to opt-in to his player option and stay with The Los Angeles Lakers. His number 1 priority is to win a championship @swishcultures_
— Jordan Richard (@JordanRichardSC) June 29, 2024
D’Angelo Russell to ESPN on his decision to opt in for the final year of his contract with the Lakers for $18.7 million: “I love what JJ is about and I really see myself thriving under his guidance to help win at a high level.”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 29, 2024
Russell has a genuine desire to remain with the Lakers and to see how JJ Redick and his new staff can impact the Lakers’ approach https://t.co/5Q4qrjcqnZ https://t.co/i3OBKe1tuk
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 29, 2024
While Russell has made his stance about wanting to remain with the Lakers clear, as previously mentioned, it is no longer up to him now that he has opted in. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are still looking to trade Russell:
How long Russell remains a Laker is another matter altogether. After failing to trade Russell ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, the Lakers are expected to be aggressive in pursuing Russell-centric trades, according to league and team sources. Russell’s expiring contract immediately becomes one of Los Angeles’ more valuable trade assets, particularly for salary-matching purposes.
Even if the Lakers keep Russell going into the season, there likely will be trade rumors surrounding him leading all the way up to the deadline. He thrived under that circumstance last season though so obviously is not going to be bothered by it.
With the Lakers facing a roster crunch though, Rob Pelinka will either have to find a way to make trades to open spots to improve or run back essentially the same squad from last season.
If they do look to trade Russell, some names the Lakers have been linked to include Jerami Grant, Bruce Brown, Dorian Finney-Smith, Trae Young and Collin Sexton.
Jaxson Hayes exercises player option with Lakers
Another player who picked up his player option to stay under contract with the Lakers for the 2024-25 season is center Jaxson Hayes. Similar to Russell, he can now be included in trades as salary ballast or to open up a roster spot.