Lakers Guard Mentioned in Trade Talks With Raptors

D’Angelo Russell is said to have popped up in trade talks with the Toronto Raptors ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

It’s not hard to see why the 27-year-old would be a name mentioned in trade talks, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported. Russell’s $17.3 million contract makes him an easily movable piece in any trade talks with the Los Angeles Lakers in the coming days.

Los Angeles has long been tied to Bruce Brown Jr who could be swapped in a one-for-one deal with the Raptors for Russell that would create an additional $4.6 million in salary cap space for Toronto this year.

Russell has been stellar since the start of the new year, averaging 22.2 points with 6.4 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the floor and 44.9% from behind the arc. He’s never been an elite talent and his defense is exploitable, but the 28-year-old guard can create offense as a high-end role player for most teams.

What’ll complicate Russell’s value for Toronto is his $18.7 million player option for next season. The Raptors have cap space to take on the contract without going into the luxury tax, but it’ll eat into the team’s flexibility moving forward.

That said, he’ll be on an expiring contract next season and could have some value either in the summer or at next year’s trade deadline should Toronto opt to move on from Russell then.

Toronto has reportedly been looking for a first-round pick in exchange for Brown, but it’s unclear if the Lakers would be willing to part with one of their coveted future picks in a deal for the 27-year-old win.