With the trade deadline on Thursday, the spotlight is on the Los Angeles Lakers and D’Angelo Russell as the anticipation for a potential trade is mounting.
However, Russell may have played his way out of the rumors, averaging 23 points and 6.8 assists on 44.4% from the field and 45.1% from 3-point range in recent weeks. After a rough December, the 27-year-old finally found his groove again offensively after being re-inserted into the starting lineup.
Now less than 24 hours until the deadline and with a couple of days rest, the Lakers look to build off their 4-2 Grammy road trip. However, it was revealed by head coach Darvin Ham at practice on Wednesday that Russell underwent a ‘tune up’ treatment on Tuesday, which puts his status for Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets up in the air:
Here is the full video exchange of Darvin Ham revealing that D’Angelo Russell underwent a procedure yesterday (the team has since clarified that it was a treatment): pic.twitter.com/Hc4ZZooHNA
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 7, 2024
Ham originally misclassified it as a ‘procedure,’ but the team would later clarify that it was just a ‘treatment’ so no surgery was involved. There still is a lot of uncertainty about his status moving forward, although Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that he is expected to be listed as questionable against the Nuggets:
A team spokesperson for the Lakers clarified that D’Angelo Russell underwent a “treatment” rather than a procedure. Russell will likely be listed as questionable for the DEN game, a source familiar with his status told ESPN.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 7, 2024
If Russell is forced to miss the big game against the Nuggets then that would unfortunate due to the offensive rhythm he is in right now. The hope is that this is not a long-term issue as L.A. prepares for another playoff push and if the Lakers want to get there, they need the Ohio State product.
Perhaps this keeps him out of trade discussions due to the uncertainty of the situation, although with less than 24 hours until the deadline, anything is possible. If Russell does end up missing time, the Lakers will be shorthanded at the point guard position with Gabe Vincent out as well.
D’Angelo Russell discusses what he learned playing with Kobe Bryant
Thursday is a monumental day for the Lakers organization and the fans as the late, great Kobe Bryant will have his statue revealed. Russell, who spent his rookie season with Bryant, shared what learned playing with the legend in his final season wearing the purple and gold.
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