Lakers News: D'Angelo Russell Reportedly Could Be Buyout Candidate After Trade to Nets

Ricardo Sandoval | Dec 29, 2024

Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) moves the ball against Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers finally made a trade, and it should bring them closer to their goal.

On Sunday, the Lakers acquired Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets and traded away D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Nets.

While Russell was solid during his time with the Lakers, he could never match his play from the regular season to the playoffs. He was always a liability, and the Lakers wanted nothing to do with that anymore.

Nonetheless, that doesn't mean Russell isn't a piece that any team would love to have, but it possibly won't be with the Nets. According to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, Russell is expected to be a prime buyout candidate after being traded to Brooklyn.

Expect D’Angelo Russell to be a prime buyout candidate after being traded to the Nets.

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) December 29, 2024

Russell is coming off a second stint with the Lakers, where he had a ton of highs and a ton of lows. However, this season, he was underwhelming, averaging a career-low 12.4 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 33 percent on 3-pointers. 

While Russell fits the bill on what the Nets need moving forward, which is scoring point guard, considering they traded away guard Dennis Schröder, who was averaging 18 points this season prior to the trade, the Nets are not interested in winning any games.

Russell may come in and help the Nets win some games, which is not what they want. If they feel that will be the case, then he may just be a buyout candidate by early February.

That may be the case, as Russell played some of his best basketball in Brooklyn. He was an All-Star in 2018-19, averaging 21.1 points per game, 3.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.2 steals. In 81 games and 30.2 minutes of action, he shot 43 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from three.

The Lakers needed to change their roster, as it was not good enough to compete with the top teams in the league, let alone the top teams in the Western Conference. With this trade, they bolstered their roster while still having their two first-round picks.

This is the first of one more move, or possibly two, the Lakers will make to truly be considered title contenders. Only time will tell, but this is a trade the Lakers needed to make. Russell was a polarizing player in his time as a Laker.

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