Insider: Potential Jazz Free Agency Target's Value ‘Never Been Lower’

While a large part of the Denver Nuggets’ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers’ was simply just a skill issue, an additional aspect of the loss can be attributed to the inconsistent play of both of LeBron and AD’s surrounding pieces. One of these players (well, actually, a lot of them) found themselves at the end of every joke from Laker fans because of it. Today specifically, we’re talking about D’Angelo Russell.

It wasn’t much of a productive four games by any imagination for Russell, considering his averages of 6.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, also shooting some abysmal 32/13/75 splits. Laker fans would probably rather take their chances with Westbrook than watch their team suffer through this.

With such a significant drop in production, it makes you have some questions on whether this impacts the money he could generate during his 2023 free agency. The high price tag Russell was expected to get could now be in flux seeing his true colors on the biggest stage.

“I’m nice. I know who I am as a player. … I can be better than your point guard. I can be better than your shooting guard.”

- D’Angelo Russell

(Via @jovanbuha ) pic.twitter.com/3IfLfKW9Pt
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 23, 2023

Of the teams that could have found some intrigue in the former All-Star guard before this series would be the Utah Jazz. His over 17 points per game average on 41% three-point shooting during the regular season made him an enticing player on the upcoming open market.

Utah has a few questions surrounding their guard core this summer, so locking up a long-term starter like Russell could ease some of those concerns for next season plus. Both former Lakers turned Jazzmen, Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker have player options for the team next season. A decline from both could force their hand into spending some cash for a new face of the backcourt.

Now, it seems that offering up that kind of money after his dud against the Nuggets seems ill-advised. Every player has a bad series once in a while, but in a crucial contract year, it makes things slightly more difficult.

This past season, he’s coming off of a contract worth over $31 million dollars, and even before that seemed a bit overpaid. Now, Tony Jones of The Athletic projects that number to come down even lower than expected for next season, whoever it may be paying for it:

"Russell, meanwhile, is on the opposite end of the spectrum after a conference finals in which he scored a total of 25 points (6.2 points per game) on 10-for-31 shooting across four games," The Athletic wrote. "It’s unclear how, if at all, that will impact his free agency, but his value has never been lower than it is right now.”

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Tony Jones on D’Angelo Russell’s impending free agency.

There still remains over a month until NBA Free Agency commences, so Russell will have time to potentially iron out a contract with the Lakers for another season. If LA decides to part ways with the seven-year vet, D’Angelo could enter the 2023-24 season on the fifth team of his career.

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