(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
News continues to swirl around the Los Angeles Lakers, and this time, it comes from guard D’Angelo Russell.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a fine performance for the club in 2023-23, finishing the season strong down the stretch.
Russell scored 18.0 points per game and upped his shooting percentages, including hitting 41.5% from beyond the arc.
With new coach J.J. Redick at the helm, the ninth-year player made a significant decision this week regarding his NBA future.
Shams Charania revealed, per The Athletic, that Russell is picking up his $18.7 million option to continue to play for the Lakers.
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell is picking up his $18.7 million player option for next season to stay in LA, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/H44wduSZL3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2024
Russell became a centerpiece of trade talks in LA last season, but that may be history as he is planting his flag with the Lakers moving forward.
That does not guarantee that his tenure in LA will continue, as the team could still decide to move on and rebuild the roster around star LeBron James.
Russell struggled in the Western Conference finals against Denver two seasons ago and did not start the last campaign as strongly as the team would have liked.
It was also widely rumored that he did not get along well with former head coach Darvin Ham, who the team replaced with Redick in the offseason.
Now, the team has No. 17 draft selection Dalton Knecht in the fold and Bronny James, who was taken off the board with the No. 55 choice.
There remains the possibility that management will decide to package a group of players—including Russell, who is playing on an expiring contract—and attempt to improve the lineup.
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