Several weeks ago, it seemed as if D’Angelo Russell was on the verge of being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers. His name was frequently coming up in trade rumors, and the hottest rumor had him heading east to the Atlanta Hawks for former All-Star guard Dejounte Murray.
But Russell, who himself is a former All-Star guard, responded by playing some of the best basketball of his life starting in mid-January after being benched a few weeks prior. The Lakers made no trades prior to the deadline, and now he has the peace of mind of knowing he will finish out the season with them.
While on “The Backyard Podcast,” he talked about how he dealt with those rumors, and it is clear he has developed a strong sense of maturity and professionalism.
“Obviously it’s a lot of pressure, the memes are good, it’s all of that, it’s whatever. But for me to actually really be in this and it be my life and my profession and everything, I just tried to approach it with a zen mentality. Knowing that I can’t control those things but also knowing that it is what’s going on and that’s what’s evolving around me. So being present within it but also not letting my mind get taken over by it.”
He also said what not being traded felt like for him.
“We survived. It’s good to survive. It’s just a good weight off the shoulder. All in all, that’s what it was for me. So it’s cool to be here and reset and attack the second half of the season with some momentum.”
Russell is averaging 17.8 points and 6.2 assists a game while shooting a career-high 41.6% from 3-point range on the season. Since returning to head coach Darvin Ham’s starting lineup on Jan. 13, he’s been putting up 22.5 points and 6.5 assists per contest while hitting 44.4% from downtown.
He does have a player option for next season, and there is a good chance he will once again come up in at least one trade rumor this summer. That is when L.A. can offer up to three first-round draft picks in any potential deal in addition to a good player such as Russell.
The word is the team will look to trade for a legitimate third star this offseason. Murray, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell and Kyrie Irving will reportedly be potential targets for it.