2 Lakers who have earned untouchable status, 2 who haven’t

Not untouchable: D’Angelo Russell

This might be a surprise as D’Angelo Russell was the biggest name that the Lakers received in the Westbrook trade. And for the most part, Russell really stepped up when the Lakers needed him to in the NBA Playoffs.

It wasn’t always perfect but almost every time that the team needed a little extra something out of Russell he gave it to them. Better yet, when he didn’t have it the Lakers were able to be more flexible, sit him down and give someone else a go. That was not possible when Westbrook was on the team.

While Russell was more than impressive in his return to Los Angeles, he didn’t do enough to earn untouchable status simply because of what his future might entail.

The Lakers need to be cautious in what they offer D’Angelo Russell.

While Russell is a solid player, he is not someone who a team should be signing to a four-year max deal. That is why his contract was one of the least desired contracts in the entire sport before it was an expiring.

The Lakers still shouldn’t lose the asset outright but it is hard to commit to paying Russell a max deal in four years when LeBron and Davis might not even be on the team anymore. Then the team would be saddled with another big deal that it would have to pay assets to get rid of.

If Russell is willing to take a pay cut or a short-term deal then it would be smart business for the Lakers. However, if another team is willing to pay him a lot and he comes to the Lakers with an ultimatum then Pelinka would have to tell him to walk as he is not untouchable.