Lakers News: D'Angelo Russell Sets New Precedent With Fresh Free Agent Contract
Returning Los Angeles Lakers starting (for now) point guard D'Angelo Russell is breaking new league contract ground.
Because an NBA player would lose his Bird or Early Bird Rights if he gets traded, one who has re-signed a one-year contract with his incumbent club, or a two-year deal with an option, is technically able to veto any deal that ships him elsewhere.
The league's new CBA permits players in this scenario to waive their veto ability upon agreeing to a one-year deal or two-year contract with an option. Russell is the first player to exercise this option, per Keith Smith of Spotrac.
He inked a two-year, $36 million new deal with Los Angeles this summer, with an $18.7 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Smith adds that D-Lo has incentives worth up to $700K in each year of the agreement. Forgoing a veto option on a hypothetical trade will make him considerably easier to trade, should Los Angeles eventually go in that direction. With Gabe Vincent now rostered, that is a very distinct possibility.
Russell's second stint with the team that drafted him has been a bit of a mixed bag so far. Upon being traded to LA from the Minnesota Timberwolves in February, the 27-year-old averaged 17.4 points on .484/.414/.735 shooting splits, 6.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks a night in 17 regular season games. His shooting ability and solid passing made him a welcome change from veteran guards Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley, both of whom had by that point been offloaded.
The playoffs were a different story. D-Lo was far less efficient in the postseason than he had been in the regular season, but the wheels didn't totally fall off until the Western Conference Finals, when he became an instant target on defense for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged just 6.3 points on .323/.133/.750 shooting splits, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per contest.
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