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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Marvi

D’Angelo Russell is rumored to be expected to opt out of his contract

There are many big decisions facing the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. They must first hire a qualified head coach. After that, a number of their key players can or will become free agents.

The first and most important such player, of course, is LeBron James. But D’Angelo Russell, their starting point guard, also has an option for next season that he can decline to hit the open market this summer.

Jake Weinbach, a writer who covers the NBA, caused a minor stir on Friday morning when he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Russell is expected to do just that.

He stressed, however, that the former All-Star could still remain with the Lakers.

Later in the day, Brett Siegel stressed that Weinbach’s tweet was nothing groundbreaking and that nothing has happened yet.

Russell had his best season ever this year, averaging 18 points and 6.3 assists a game while shooting a career-high 41.5% from 3-point range. However, he continued to be wildly inconsistent come playoff time.

One has to assume the Lakers would prefer Russell to opt into that final year of his current contract, if for no other reason than to make him an asset in a potential trade for a backcourt upgrade.

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