The Los Angeles Lakers are in the early stage of decision-making for the offseason. And with several free agents, including D’Angelo Russell, they have several ways to go in building out their roster for the 2023-24 season.
Russell’s free agency is perhaps the most intriguing storyline for the Lakers over the next month. L.A. has Russell’s bird rights, meaning they can pay him whatever they would like without having to worry about the salary cap. However, his value is extremely complicated due to a rollercoaster performance during the 2023 postseason.
The Lakers now also have to be wary of the second salary apron which comes with some punitive measures like the loss of the taxpayer mid-level exception. Paying Russell too much could lead to exceeding that number, while paying him too little could be seen as disrespectful, leading him to walk to another team.
If the Lakers had it their way, they reportedly would love to use Russell as part of a sign-and-trade to bring in a different point guard, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
My read on the situation is that the Lakers would prefer to use D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade, but I’m not sure the market is there.
Landing Kyrie Irving for Russell is shaping up to be a pipe dream, especially with Dallas unlikely to help Los Angeles out. Fred VanVleet, a Klutch client, looms as a possibility, but adding him would require Toronto to agree to terms with Russell (or take on the Beasley and Bamba contracts).
The idea of Kyrie Irving has been largely shut down due to nearly every factor surrounding how the Lakers would land the tumultuous guard. But Fred VanVleet is a more interesting and feasible conversation.
If the Toronto Raptors are interested in taking on Russell — if they feel he’s a better alternative to losing VanVleet for nothing — they could help facilitate a trade with L.A. where VanVleet opts in to the final year of his contract and is subsequently traded to the Lakers with Russell used as the matching salary.
There are a number of factors with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that make this deal very tricky. Depending on when the Lakers and Raptors were to hypothetically complete the deal, there could be a hard cap triggered by a brand new rule that involves salary matching.
But the important thing to note is that VanVleet, a Klutch client, is not an unrealistic target for L.A., and it reportedly would be the ideal use of Russell’s free agency if the Lakers can swing it.
Lakers approaching offseason including LeBron James
Many of the Lakers plans revolving around trying to compete for a championship in 2023-24, and that it only realistically possible if LeBron James is on the roster. Despite talks of him contemplating retirement, the Lakers are reportedly pushing forward as if he will be with the team next season.
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