On Friday night, Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard D’Angelo Russell exercised the player option on his contract for the 2024-25 season. That means he will remain a member of the team, despite speculation in recent weeks that he would opt out and perhaps leave in free agency.
He said his top priority is to win an NBA championship and that he sees himself thriving under new Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
But if the Lakers had their way, Russell would have to figure out how to thrive on another team. According to beat writer Jovan Buha, they will still look to use Russell as trade bait in the coming days and weeks.
Via The Athletic:
“How long Russell remains a Laker is another matter altogether,” wrote Buha. “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.”
With former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, a rumored Lakers target, being sent to the New Orleans Pelicans, it remains to be seen who the team tries to deal Russell for.