The Los Angeles Lakers have been quite active in making trade moves this offseason. They recently signed D’Angelo Russell to a new contract and ensured that he will remain a part of the team for the near future. As most Laker fans should be aware, DLo was traded to the Lakers towards the backend of last season and played a role in the success that the team saw.
Although they were unable to win the NBA championship, the Lakers managed to make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. This is something that many NBA analysts and experts didn’t see coming since they finished the regular season as the lowly 7th seed.
Since Russell was on an expiring contract, it was unclear if the Lakers were planning to bring him back or whether they were planning to let him go. Recent reports have made it clear that they are keeping him. Let us take a closer look at this situation and assess if this was a good move by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed D’Angelo Russell to a 2-year, $37 million contract
Veteran Lakers fans will know that D’Angelo Russell was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers as the second pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. However, the organization soon decided that it was time to move on from him and traded him away to the Brooklyn Nets. He was then taken in by the Golden State Warriors, who also traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in order to secure Andrew Wiggins.
The Lakers finally took him back and introduced him as the starting point guard for the team. He played quite well for them for the last 17 games of the season. DLo averaged 17.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists for the Lakers this season. However, he also ended up getting injured after twisting his ankle and missed time with them.
Perhaps the Lakers took all these factors into account when presenting him with an offer. They did not give him a long-term and expensive deal. Instead, Los Angeles has offered him a 2-year contract worth $37 million. That retains him on the roster and gives the franchise more time to decide if he has a permanent place with them.🚨 Big news for the Los Angeles Lakers! 🏀
✍️ Free agent G D’Angelo Russell is keeping the purple and gold in his veins with a 💥 two-year, $37 million contract! 💰🔒#LakeShow #DLo #LakersNation #NBAFreeAgency #NBA pic.twitter.com/rkkmSb7RjT
— BlitzFeed (@Blitz_Feed) July 1, 2023
We look forward to seeing how DLo performs over the next few years and whether he will be able to get a better deal from the Lakers in the future. After all, they will still need young stars in order to remain competitive after LeBron James is gone.