The Los Angeles Lakers are charting a course toward a new beginning at the point guard position. That begins with Gabe Vincent hoping to be back at 100 percent for the 2024-25 season after appearing in just 11 games in 2023-24.
The most significant manner in which change could be afoot, however, is the potential departure of starting point guard D'Angelo Russell.
Russell has spent the better part of the past two seasons with the Lakers, helping the team reach the 2023 Western Conference Finals. His regular season play has far exceeded what he's done in the playoffs, however, and that seems to have spelled the beginning of the end.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers have been actively shopping Russell in trade talks since he accepted his player option near the end of June.
"If you are the Lakers, and you are potentially doing a D-Lo trade at some point, as they have been shopping him and trying to move him since he opted in, it would be nice to have a player of Spencer Dinwiddie's caliber on your roster."
It's not necessarily a shocking report, but it certainly has the potential to shake things up for Los Angeles ahead of or during the 2024-25 season.
Despite his postseason shortcomings, Russell is one of the most productive players in the NBA. In 2023-24, he and Tyrese Maxey were the only players who averaged at least 18.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.0 three-point field goals made on 40.0 percent shooting or better from beyond the arc.
Russell has been at the heart of trade rumors throughout his tenure with the franchise, however, and that seems likely to persist. The question is: What exactly would a positive return look like?
There are three ideal outcomes that would positively answer that question.
1. Acquire draft assets
This might not be the most ideal outcome, but Russell is entering the final year of his current contract. As such, there's no need to mince words: The Lakers are less than 11 months away from potentially losing him for absolutely nothing in return.
There are better potential trade outcomes than this, but if the Lakers can potentially move Russell for draft assets, it would be a better outcome than losing him for nothing—and it really wouldn't be a bad return overall.
As it presently stands, there's a chance that the Lakers could max out at acquiring a second-rounder or two for Russell. This is less about his quality as a player and more about the fact that a vast majority of teams have already locked in their rosters and are actively crafting their rotations.
If the Lakers wait it out and get closer to the deadline, however, there's likely to be a team that's willing to part with draft capital for a productive player on an expiring contract.
It happens every single season. A team that's desperate to contend parts with a first-round draft pick, or even more, to bring on a proven commodity who they feel can get the team over the hump.
It's not the dream outcome, but if the Lakers walk away with a future first-round draft pick via a Russell trade, then it's still an absolute win for the front office.