Lakers 3-Way Trade $160 Million Star for D’Angelo Russell Package
Getty Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell Free agency has not yet started, but already, things have shaped up to be interesting for the Lakers this offseason.
Point guard D’Angelo Russell opted in for the final year and $18.7 million of his contract on Friday, and one of the team’s top trade targets—Hawks guard Dejounte Murray—was dealt to the Pelicans, removing the option of adding Murray’s two-way talents to the Lakers backcourt.
The combination of Russell’s decision and the Murray trade does increase the chances for the Lakers to address a longtime shortcoming on the roster—the lack of big men who can stretch the floor. One who has been connected with the Lakers already is eminently available: Portland Trail Blazers star Jerami Grant. Russell is expected to be traded in the coming days or weeks.
Already, Yahoo Sports’s Jake Fischer has connected the Lakers to Grant. He wrote this week: “Jerami Grant, a client of Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, is believed to be another potential addition on the Lakers’ wishlist, according to league sources.”
