It came as a shock when D’Angelo Russell was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers. What was Magic Johnson’s reason for dealing the young guard?
Just a few years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers used the second overall pick on guard D’Angelo Russell. With Kobe Bryant’s time in Los Angeles coming to an end, many believed that Russell could be the future of the franchise.
In his rookie season during Bryant’s farewell tour, Russell averaged 28.2 minutes, 13.2 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Having Bryant on the team certainly held Russell back a bit in his rookie season, but he was still able to have some pretty good numbers.
Last season, in about the same amount of minutes per game, Russell did see an improvement in his stats. However, it might not have been the sophomore season jump the Lakers were looking for.
During the season, the Lakers decided that they were going to make changes in their front office. Magic Johnson became the President of the team, and we knew roster changes would come. Despite praising Russell in the past, Johnson decided that it would be best for the team to trade him.
Along with Russell, the Lakers were able to rid themselves of the awful contract of Timofey Mozgov. In return, they received Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick. While Russell still has nice upside at 21-years-old, they had to pair something valuable along with Mozgov to get rid of the contract.
While many were surprised by Magic’s decision to trade Russell, he commented about him after the trade might have given more insight to why he was dealt.
Magic Johnson on D’Angelo Russell: "We want to thank him for what he did for us. But what I needed was a leader.” Full quote: pic.twitter.com/3FhPthOpN1
— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 23, 2017
Seeing Magic say that he didn’t believe Russell could be a leader is certainly a strong statement. With a major incident with his teammates Nick Young off the court, there could very well be more than just Magic thought this was a good deal for the Lakers.
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With the selection of Lonzo Ball, Magic believes that he has got his new leader for the Lakers. For Russell, he will get an opportunity to shine on a Brooklyn team that is also rebuilding.