The relationship between D'Angelo Russell and the Los Angeles Lakers has seemingly been strained. Coming off of a tremendous regular season and a disappointing postseason, Russell is back on the trade market as he approaches the final season on his current contract.
While most seem to be in favor of trading Russell, there's reason to believe that the Lakers would be wise to exercise caution ahead of such a monumental decision.
There's no way around the fact that Russell, 28, has consistently struggled to live up to his potential in the playoffs. This past season, he balanced strong efforts in Game 2 and Game 4 of the first round loss to the Denver Nuggets with truly dreadful showings the rest of the way.
That includes a Game 3 performance in which Russell scored zero points on 0-of-7 shooting in a seven-point loss that effectively ended the series.
True as that may be, it's not quite as simple as trading Russell because he's underperformed in the playoffs. Losing him would come with the expectation that adequate value can be retrieved in a potential trade, and it also overlooks a crucial bit of context about how good he actually is.
Trading Russell could make sense in the long run, but it would behoove the Lakers to give him a chance to excel in the new-look offensive system run by head coach JJ Redick before pulling the trigger on his departure.
At the very least, the Lakers should wait until the trade deadline to make a final decision on Russell's future.
3. Maximizing Russell's trade value
Trading Russell ahead of the 2024-25 season would provide the Lakers with an opportunity to avoid the distraction of outside noise. That much can't be denied and is as strong a counterpoint to the idea of waiting until the trade deadline as any.
The other side of that coin, however, is that the Lakers are currently attempting to trade Russell when they don't have any leverage in potential negotiations.
With the NBA Draft and the major moves of free agency in the rearview, most teams already know what their starting lineup is going to look like in 2024-25. In some cases, coaches have already decided on a full rotation, with training camp simply acting as a vehicle to shake off the offseason rust.
As such, Los Angeles isn't exactly in a position in which it can execute a Russell trade and hope to get the best possible return for him.
By waiting until the trade deadline, the Lakers could turn that around and negotiate with teams that are desperate for a productive point guard. In that scenario, general manager Rob Pelinka would have significantly more bargaining power, especially when it comes to asking for draft compensation.
There's certainly a case to be made to avoid the distraction of in-season trade rumors, but the Lakers should still consider how much more they could get in return for Russell closer to February.