The Los Angeles Lakers added a plug-and-play piece during the NBA draft in Dalton Knecht and now turn their eyes to the trade market in hopes of acquiring a game-changer.
D’Angelo Russell simplified that pursuit for the team on Saturday, June 29, when he opted into the final year of his contract. The decision affords L.A. an $18.7 million expiring trade chip, which should bring some quality talent into play for the franchise this summer.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported on Saturday that the Lakers will be “aggressive” in their attempts to move Russell and upgrade to a third star on the 2024-25 roster.
“After failing to trade Russell ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, the Lakers are expected to be aggressive in pursuing Russell-centric trades, according to league and team sources,” Buha wrote. “Russell’s expiring contract immediately becomes one of Los Angeles’ more valuable trade assets, particularly for salary-matching purposes.”
The Lakers also have two first-round picks at their disposal in 2029 and 2031, as well as pick swaps in 2026, 2028 and 2030 to put together an attractive package for a quality player.
Lakers’ Pool of Star-Level Trade Targets Shrunk by 2 on Saturday
GettyD’Angelo Russell of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Who that player will ultimately be remains an open question, as the pool of talent the Lakers can choose from via a trade has already dipped significantly.
The Atlanta Hawks dealt Dejounte Murray, one of the most talked about players in the context of L.A. and a summer trade over the past several weeks, to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Not only does that take Murray off of the chess board for Los Angeles, but it likely removes Trae Young from the equation as well — unless the Hawks decide to start completely over from scratch.
There still figures to be at least one member of the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ backcourt available to the Lakers at some point this offseason, as the team is in the midst of extension conversations with five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell. Should Mitchell decide to re-up with the Cavs, Darius Garland is likely to seek a trade and could be a fit in L.A.
Garland’s former teammate Collin Sexton, who Cleveland shipped to the Utah Jazz a couple offseasons past as part of its acquisition of Mitchell, is also a name that has floated in trade rumors around Los Angeles. Mitchell is the superior player of the three and can force Cleveland’s hand in a trade by turning down an extension and declaring his intention to opt out of the final year of his contract next summer.
However, even if Mitchell does so, there is no guarantee that the Cavaliers and owner Dan Gilbert would trade him to the Lakers, after James departed Cleveland for a second time in 2018 to play in Southern California.
LeBron James Opts Out, Austin Reaves in L.A. for Long Haul
GettyAustin Reaves (left) and LeBron James (right) of the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James chose to opt out of the final year of his contract on Saturday, which most insiders expected, but is more than likely to seek a new max contract with L.A. spanning the next three years. The chances of that outcome are even better considering the Lakers drafted his eldest son, Bronny James, with the No. 55 pick in the second round on Thursday.
Anthony Davis is also under contract with the Lakers through at least the 2026-27 campaign, with a player option the following season. As such, the Lakers will build their roster this offseason around James, Davis and Austin Reaves, who L.A. has said the franchise won’t trade for anything less than an All-Star.
Russell put up quality numbers last season, averaging 18 points, 6.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game, according to Basketball Reference. However, Buha reported that the team didn’t see a path to the top of the Western Conference with a Reaves-Russell backcourt.
“Internally within the Lakers, there is a sense that there is a clear ceiling to an Austin Reaves-D’Angelo Russell backcourt pairing,” Buha wrote. “Reaves is younger, better defensively, a superior playoff performer and is on a team-friendly multi-year contract.”
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