Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson speaks about D’Angelo Russell trade
Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson, explains the D’Angelo Russell trade prior to the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Los Angeles Lakers were very active leading up to, and during, the 2017 NBA Draft. They completed two trades; one prior to the draft and one on draft night. The trade on draft night netted them an extra pick, as they traded away the 28th pick for No. 30 and No. 42.
The trade that everyone is talking about is the one prior to the draft. Earlier in the week, the Lakers agreed to a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick.
It was a trade that caused an uproar among Lakers fans. They were not happy to see the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft traded in what amounted to a salary dump. The Lakers intentions in the deal were clear, but that didn’t make it any easier for the fans to accept.
In addition to the salary dump, the move cleared out a potential logjam in the Lakers backcourt. With Russell on his way out of town, second overall pick, Lonzo Ball, is the clear-cut starter. The Lakers have high expectations for Ball, calling him the new face of the franchise.
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That is high praise for someone that is yet to play a minute in a Lakers uniform, but Ball is a supremely talented player. Part of the reason they traded Russell was that they believe Ball brings what he couldn’t.
Johnson explained one of the reasons behind the trade was wanting to find a leader for the Lakers on the court.
"“I’m going to do what it takes to get the right players in here with the right mindset. D’Angelo is an excellent player. He has the talent to be an All-Star. We want to thank him for what he did for us. But what I needed was a leader,” Johnson told reporters. ” I needed somebody also that can make the other players better and also that players want to play with.”"
That sounds it is only half the story regarding Russell being traded. Ball may be a superior point guard and playmaker in the Lakers’ eyes, but why not try playing them together in the backcourt?
Russell played pretty well when at shooting guard last season. There would have been some obstacles to overcome pairing them together, such as defense. But, if it was something that the Lakers thought they could make work, they probably would have tried to do it.
The Lakers believed trading Russell was the best course of action to execute their plan. They cleared a ton of cap space, which can make them major players in free agency in 2018.
If the Lakers can still find a way to add Paul George to the roster and add another top flight free agent along with him, Lakers fans will see that the Russell trade was a worthwhile one.
Next: 4 Reasons Trading D'Angelo Russell Was Right Move
The future is bright for the Lakers. Some people may believe it would have been brighter with Russell in the fold, but he needed to be used as an asset to rid themselves of one of the bad contracts the last regime left Johnson and Rob Pelinka with.