July 7: Russell’s new contract is now official, the Lakers announced (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).
July 1: The Lakers and point guard D’Angelo Russell have reached an agreement on a two-year contract that will be worth $37MM, his agents at CAA Basketball tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. According to Wojnarowski, Russell will hold a player option for 2024/25 as part of the deal.
Los Angeles acquired the 6’4″ vet, whom the Lakers initially drafted with the second pick in 2015, from the Timberwolves this past February. The Russell acquisition headlined a flurry of tactical moves designed to improve the club’s positional balance and add more shooting around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The 27-year-old performed exceptionally well as a supplemental scorer and passer upon being installed as L.A.’s starting point guard. Across his 17 healthy regular season contests with Los Angeles, he averaged 17.4 PPG on .484/.414/.735 shooting splits, plus 6.1 APG and 2.9 RPG.
The playoffs were a different story. His jump shooting took a major dive, and opposing teams often targeted him on defense. Russell averaged 13.3 PPG on a .426/.310/.769 slash line, 4.6 APG, 2.9 RPG and 0.7 SPG in the playoffs.
Yesterday’s announced signing of ex-Heat point guard Gabe Vincent, a better defender who enjoyed a much better postseason, made Russell’s future in Los Angeles seem a bit more tenuous. Though Russell’s contract makes it seem like he will at least begin the season as the team’s starter, one wonders if that will be the case at the end of the season.
Lets go!!!!!!!!
In the morning of June 30
If only two years, D-Lo is worth $50mm contract.
D-Lo market with a great agent
3 years $72mm contract
My nice organization ranking top 5
1. Heat
2. Warriors
3. Clippers
4. Nets
5. Lakers
No he’s not
Suns are soon-to be a nice organization. Heat and Lakers are kind of cheap by comparison.
As the Mets have found out spending money doesn’t equate nice. Suns, Nets and Clippers are trash
An average is 18.5 ! Has to be humbling to take a 13 million dollar paycut ! Maybe he will be motivated maybe not
Austin Reaves losing leverage by each passing hour
Not really. Houston and spurs still have cap money
Houston way more likely to spend their remaining money on 2way players like Houston native Grant Williams, Dillon Brooks or Brook Lopez. Reaves will be good tho. Plenty of teams would want him for around the $10M/yr range, including the Lakers which is probably the team he prefers to be on
Spurs will be making the offer. That is what everyone is waiting for with reeves. lakers will match and put themselves way over the cap. D’lo made a big mistake since his playing time will not be there if reeves resigns. There must be no market for him since he resigned.
Can’t believe they want him back. Probably get traded soon. Gotta be a trade chip.
False! As long as Houston and SA still have cap he has all the leverage he needs. Both teams can offer him close to 100 mil nearly double what we can.
I believe Deal between Lakers and Austin Reaves is locked already, it just matter of time to make announcement.
Why would a deal be locked with Reeves and Lakers? Reeves can almost double his contract if he waits for another offer.
Not really since Reaves is actually good and Russell isn’t.
Now that’s a great deal for the Lakers. When Hachimura gets $17n getting Russell for $18.5 is one of the better deals passed out this off season.
Great decision for De Lo & Rui to agree the term and stay with Lakers with reasonable price for both parties. Now at least Lakers could matching any teams offer to Austin Reaves. Looks like the team chemistry was built last season will carry on to this coming season for sure Not start out of season 2-10 could be reverse 10-2 !!!
As much as I prefer Schroeder’s defense, D-Lo can score some points. Hopefully he’s putting in the work to fix whatever went wrong in the playoffs.
Yea he was great in the playoffs vs the nuggets
After that playoff performance, I’m shocked the lakers would want anything other than to sign and trade this guy. Awful move.
D’Angelo Russell signs 2 years $37 million with a player option for year two. It’s a good deal because he got paid $30 million last season and get him for $18.5 million a season is good. Then it gives them time to develop the young rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Los Angeles Lakers have made some great moves this offseason and also got Gabe Vincent yesterday for 3 years $33 million. I’m thinking that Gabe Vincent might be the starting Point Guard and D’Angelo Russell might be the 6th man and backup. It can be the other way around. It’s going to be very interesting what type of deal Austin Reaves get from the Lakers.
Man, that Simons deal…and now its costing Portland Damian Lillard
Great signing
Excellent off season by LAL. Need to close the Reaves situation, and maybe re-sign Walker with NBRs. Depth chart is better by leaps and bounds from the roster they started with last year.
The nuggets approve of this move. Good job LA
Austin just signed – 4/$54. I guess the Spurs didn’t want to risk inflating the price and ending up overpaying. Let’s go!!!
Was an interesting test market for a guy like DLo
He got the player option, the Lakers saved 2~3 AAV to potentially tempt Beasley or Lonnie if there markets crater ~ Think we can offer either player about 4.2 max . If not just vet min and use that extra MLE money at the buyout for a fit (last year we will be able to do that) Can throw that money at Max Lewis as well if nothing needed to maybe buy an extra year of team control
Nice small win for the Lakers tho here
His teammates and coaches call him she’angelo, wonder why. Yeah “great signing” lol