Lakers Must Trade D’Angelo Russell for 3rd Star After LeBron Opt Out amid NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers appear poised to make one last run with the tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis at their core.

James reportedly declined his player option for the 2024-25 season on Saturday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. However, “the expectation” is that he’ll return to L.A. on a new deal.

While James opted out, teammate and point guard D’Angelo Russell opted in, which should leave the Lakers eager to trade him in the hopes of landing another premier player to pair with James, Davis and budding third standout Austin Reaves.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, James and Davis would prefer L.A. to go “all-in for another elite player.”

After Russell exercised his option, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported that the Lakers will look to include Russell in a trade package.

“The Lakers are expected to be aggressive in pursuing Russell-centric trades, according to league and team sources. Russell’s expiring contract immediately becomes one of Los Angeles’ more valuable trade assets, particularly for salary-matching purposes.”

Including Russell in an offer and working the trade market is a logical option, and perhaps L.A.’s only viable one at this point. James wants another high-end piece on the roster, and Russell’s decision largely negates L.A.’s ability to find one on the free-agent market.

As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted
on The Hoop Collective podcast (h/t RealGM), there was a path to the full midlevel exception. However, it largely hinged on James taking less money and and Russell opting out.

“If Russell opts
out, the Lakers will have a window to do something,” Windhorst said.
“And, look, LeBron may shut the door shut. But I do think if they had a
plan of who they could sign for the full midlevel, they could take it to
LeBron and he would at least listen.”

James is indeed considering “opening up a pathway” to the midlevel exception, according to Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report. It would be a bigger challenge with Russell’s contract on the books, however.

And while Los Angeles does have assets to trade—including their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks and a few pick swaps—Russell’s $18.7 million salary could prove critical. That could equate to a big chunk of what the Lakers need to send out in a big-time trade.

Russell has been, of course, a quality piece of the proverbial puzzle over the last two seasons, even if his impact has waned in the postseason. He shot 41.5 percent from beyond the arc last year while making a franchise-record 226 threes. His ability to handle the ball and provide range scoring could complement James and Davis in the system of new head coach J.J. Reddick.

“Redick described a system molded around this roster, focusing on elevating Anthony Davis’ involvement, particularly late in games, and alleviating the constant ballhandling duties on James by utilizing him more off the ball. Keeping James, who turns 40 in December, fresh down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs will be critical.”

However, the Lakers should have options for replacing Russell, depending on who else they’re forced to move in a trade.

Both Reaves and Gabe Vincent can serve as primarily ball-handlers if needed. Rookie first-round pick Dalton Kneckt could quickly emerge as L.A.’s new range shooter after making 39.7 percent of his 3-point attempts and being named SEC Player of the Year at Tennessee last season.

The unknown, of course, is who the Lakers might be able to add in a trade. Los Angeles was reportedly interested in Dejounte Murray, but he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Trade Young could still be an option for L.A., if the Atlanta Hawks are willing to continue tearing down their roster. Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported on Friday that Atlanta is “expected to gauge” trade options with “rostered players who aren’t named Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher,“

Fischer has also named Portlant Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant as “another potential addition on the Lakers’ wishlist.”

Regardless of who the Lakers target, it’s imperative that they find a way to make a splash. Simply adding Knecht and Bronny James to the current group isn’t likely to turn L.A. into a title contender—unless Reddick proves to be an absolute wizard in maximizing the roster.

The clock has been ticking on the James-Davis pairing for some time now. If the Lakers are hoping to get one more serious run out of the duo, general manager Rob Pelinka must be working the trade angles with a fury in the coming days.