D’Angelo Russell had found himself in a tricky situation. The star point guard headed into this season with an expiring contract without signing an extension with the LA Lakers. Should we have seen this coming? JJ Redick gave us a hint when he pushed D’Lo to the bench just 8 games into the season. Now that the Brooklyn Nets have taken responsibility for the star’s future, an important question soon arose, will/can the Nets buy him out?
One thing is obvious. The Nets have gone all out to rebuild their roster. They’ve already given away Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Shake Milton. While they received D’Lo, Maxwell Lewis, and 3 second-round picks for the latest trade; they got De’Anthony Melton and Reece Beekman, along with 3 second-rounders for the earlier trade. And, Melton won’t play until next season.
So, in a way, the Nets’ transactions reflect that they are more interested in clearing up the clutter rather than stacking the current roster. Considering D’Angelo Russell‘s drastic dip in performance, the Brooklyn team’s decision to rope him in amid their rebuilding phase indeed raised a lot of eyebrows. After an impressive season, averaging 18.0 ppg, Russ went down badly this season, averaging 12.4 ppg shooting at an underwhelming rate of 33.3% from the arc.
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Scenarios like this only pave the way for the nagging question — Will the Nets buy him out? A cheaper deal? With an expiring contract worth $18.69 million, the team could do it. However, according to Michael Scotto, an NBA Insider, it’s unlikely to happen, as he confirmed, “I’m told that’s not the case.” Moreover, he highlighted that the star will normally continue his second stint with the team.
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The cycle repeats. After starting his career with the Lakers, Russ moved to the Nets. This time, however, it’s a different battle. He has a lot to prove to keep himself relevant today. Will he stay with the Nets even after this season? That’s something to watch out for.
Did the Lakers break D’Angelo Russell’s trust with their actions?
When JJ Redick decided to push D’Lo to the bench, the All-Star took it positively for the team and made an encouraging statement. He added, “I just wanted to win… So whatever it took, change of plans, whatever it is, whatever coach needs, just try to get the win and be a part of that.” Moreover, he also added, “I left all my baggage at the door this summer. Once we changed coaches and new staff came in, I was committed to whatever it takes. So that’s just what y’all see.”
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To be honest, the Lakers Nation, including me, expected all this to happen a bit earlier during the off-season trade market. Even though Russ put up an 18.0 ppg show in the regular season, he couldn’t make much noise in the previous postseason, where they badly lost 1-4 in the first round against the Nuggets. He averaged only 14.2 points across the series, struggling to make buckets from the arc.
Nevertheless, he survived the trade window, but the Lakers didn’t extend his contract. A lot of fans sensed his exit coming from a mile away. What do you think? Will DFS and Shake Milton make a difference for the LA side? Let us know in the comments below.