The Lakers have been active in free agency as the team looks to build on its Western Conference finals appearance, and the franchise now has re-signed point guard D’Angelo Russell to a two-year, $37 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
After a failed pursuit of Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline this past season, the Lakers pivoted to Russell, who began his career in Los Angeles before spending several seasons with the Timberwolves. Russell’s role as the Lakers’ point guard proved pivotal to the team’s play at the end of the regular season.
After being acquired by the Lakers, Russell averaged 17.4 points per game on 48.4% shooting from the floor. However, in the playoffs, he struggled to maintain the same production, averaging 13.3 points per game on 42.6% shooting.
Russell’s contract likely means he will begin the year as the team’s starting point guard, but the Lakers have more options at their disposal after reaching an agreement with former Heat point guard Gabe Vincent on a three-year deal. The initial thought was that Russell might have been on the way out, but general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office clearly see value in having both Russell and Vincent as options in the team’s backcourt for the foreseeable future.
