The Los Angeles Lakerswere one of the best teams in the NBA after the trade deadline. Rob Pelinka put a decent roster around LeBron James, and they were a legit dark horse out of the Western Conference.
But as good as they were, they werenāt flawed. They lacked another solid playmaker and shot-creator, as DāAngelo Russell vastly underperformed when the season was on the line.
With that in mind, some have hinted at the Lakers moving on from him, with Kyrie Irving as the No. 1 option. However, Shams Charania of The Athletic believes Russell is actually their best option.
Shams Charania Makes A Case For The Lakers To Keep DāAngelo Russell
āThey ended up going to the Western Conference Finals, DāAngelo Russell gets benched in Game 4 and I think overall when you look at the landscape, when you talk to team executives, they feel like the Lakers could be in the market for a point guard,ā Charania said on Run It Back. āWhen you think about the available point guards ā Fred VanVleet, Kyrie Irving, their best bet might be to bring back DāAngelo Russell.ā
Some Members Of The Lakers Want To Keep Him
Moreover, it seems like some members of the Lakers organization have echoed that sentiment. According to ESPN insider Zach Lowe, theyāre considering bringing him back:
āI actually think there are corners of the organization that would still like DāAngelo Russell back just because they have a void at that position,ā Lowe said on his podcast. āThey need a point guard.ā
see also
Lakers get positive news about Kyrie Irving"s free agency
Russell played himself out of a big contract, and he may not get the lucrative deal heās looking to get. So, he might be better off just signing a short-term āprove itā deal in Los Angeles.
