D’Angelo Russell joining the Lakers was a big deal.
He gave them exactly what they needed, a scorer to help out LeBron and Anthony Davis.
He wants to stay a Laker.
“D’Angelo Russell very much wanted a second chance in L.A. with the Lakers and you’ve seen the impact he made coming back against Toronto the other night, playing great in a win, and again tonight. He wants to be the point guard of the future for this organization. He’ll be a free agent this summer.”
He has played well since joining the Lakers.
D’Angelo Russell‘s second go around with the Lakers is going a lot better than the first — 19.2 points and 6.2 assists a game, with a very efficient 66.2 true shooting percentage. His shot creation at the point, paired with the additions of Jared Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley, have the Lakers looking like a dangerous playoff team if they could just get everyone healthy at once.
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There has been mutual interest from the Lakers. The question, as always, is money. Russell is making $31.2 million this season in the final year of the four-year, $117 million contract he signed in Minnesota. The sides could work out a contract extension off that number, but what do the sides see as a fair number? Miami’s Tyler Herro signed a four-year, $120 million contract last summer and Russell likely will be in that ballpark or worth a little more — very similar numbers to the money he is making this season.