D’Angelo Russell returned to Los Angeles at the trade deadline last season and, during the regular season, brought a scoring pop from the backcourt that was desperately needed by the Lakers.
Russell averaged 17.4 points and 6.1 assists on 48.4/41.4/73.5 shooting splits in his 17 regular season games back with the Lakers, helping L.A. claw their way back into the postseason. However, the playoffs were a struggle for Russell, as he couldn’t replicate that same level of production, averaging just 13.3 points on 42.6/31.0/76.9 splits in 16 postseason games. The Lakers made it to the Western Conference Finals where they were swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
For the Lakers and other teams eyeing Russell in free agency, they had to figure out what exactly to make of the vast difference in two relatively small samples in Los Angeles and where Russell belonged in the hierarchy of a very robust point guard market this summer. In a bit of good news for L.A., they were able to figure out where he fit into that hierarchy by coming to terms on a new deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Free agent G D’Angelo Russell has agreed on a two-year, $37 million contract to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, co-heads of @CAA_Basketball Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz along with Antonio Russell tell ESPN. Deal has player option. Lakers secure their starting point guard. pic.twitter.com/ScrZHD7Jio
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
It’s been a very busy free agency window for the Lakers, which already added former Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent as a member of its backcourt this summer. While the team will need to figure out which of those two players will start at the 1, Los Angeles surely will enjoy having options at point guard — at least for the next year, as Russell’s deal includes a player option.