Another of the Los Angeles Lakers’ top targets is headed elsewhere. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, D’Angelo Russell has come to terms on an agreement with the Golden State Warriors and will be signed-and-traded as part of the move to get Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets.
Russell, the Lakers’ former second overall pick, became linked to the team over the past few days as free agency approached. With the market for point guards being scarce, he appeared to be a potential target for the Lakers who could have paid the one-time All-Star and had enough to fill out the roster with another starting level player.
Russell will sign a four-year, $117 million contract with the Warriors according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It is the most he could have made.
For the Lakers, this means that Kawhi Leonard is the final star that they could potentially sign. The team has made the Raptors champion their priority but Russell (along with Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler) was seen as a potential backup plan. Now, the Lakers will either land Leonard, the best player on the market, or split their cap space among several role players.
Russell is the second former Laker lottery pick to sign a large deal at the onset of the 2019 NBA Free Agency period. Julius Randle signed a three-year deal worth about $63 million earlier on Sunday.
