It only took a few hours after the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery for a trade rumor surrounding Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell to surface.
“Multiple NBA teams are evaluating trade packages for D’Angelo Russell, league sources told SI.com,” wrote Jake Fisher of Sports Illustrated.
If the Boston Celtics, who won the lottery, don’t take UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, the Lakers could select the Los Angeles-area native to be their point guard of the future. Investing a pair of No. 2 overall draft picks on point guards in a three-year span doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, though, so if Ball does go to the Lakers, they could look to move Russell to address their roster weaknesses.
The Lakers could use a Russell trade and their more than $20 million in salary cap space to accelerate their rebuild.
After struggling in his rookie campaign, Russell averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Lakers in his sophomore season.
Thumbnail photo via Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports Images
