The Lakers have reportedly made D’Anglo Russell available in trade talks
The Los Angeles Lakers used the No. 2-overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft to select point guard D’Angelo Russell out of Ohio State. Though there were some who questioned taking Russell over Jahlil Okafor in the lottery, it’s hard to deny the potential of a 19-year-old with the skills and confidence of Russell.
However, Russell’s rookie season has been more than a bit tumultuous as he’s seemingly clashed with head coach Byron Scott on a number of occasions and was demoted from his starting role long ago. Things may have gone a little far, though, as Russell has apparently been made available in trade discussions.
According to Brian Geltzeiler of hoopscritc.com, Russell’s name has come up in trade talks with less than a month remaining until the Feb. 18 NBA Trade Deadline:
In taking to people around the league on who has been made available in trade talks a very surprising name has come up: DeAngelo Russell
— Brian Geltzeiler (@BGeltzNBA) January 28, 2016
There’s no word on if there have been any takers for Russell on the market, but the fact that he’s been made available at all is certainly concerning for the Lakers. After all, Russell is only 47 games into his NBA career, is still only 19 years old, and is quite obviously a talented NBA prospect and the Lakers are already seemingly willing to give up on him.
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Considering that the Lakers are already in the midst of a rebuilding process, forfeiting a young player who was slated to be part of their future just seems incredibly misguided unless the front office could summon a king’s ransom in return for the rookie point guard.
As for what the Lakers could potentially get in a trade involving Russell, you’d have to imagine that they could theoretically wind up with a first-round pick or a bevy of other quality assets. Moreover, not having Russell on the books would indeed open up even more room under the salary cap in 2016 NBA free agency.
Nothing is imminent regarding Russell being traded away from Los Angeles, but it’s certainly a shock to hear that the option is apparently on the table. This, more than any other trade rumor involving the Lakers, is one fans will want to keep a close eye on over the next several weeks.
Update (Jan. 28, 2:30 p.m. PT)
There are already conflicting reports from SI’s Jake Fischer, who is saying that Russell has not been made available:
Fischer also added a sensible bit of input saying that if teams round the league weren’t inquiring about a No. 2 pick who is currently in the bench in an odd organizational situation would be crazy. Again, this is still a wait-and-see situation, but it’s worth noting that there are reports on both ends of the spectrum.