The NBA All-Star festivities are firmly in the rearview mirror now that the 2024-25 regular season is back on the menu. The Los Angeles Lakers have played to mixed post-All-Star break results so far, falling 100-97 to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday before notching a 110-102 win over the Portland Trail Blazers 24 hours later.
After acquiring Luka Doncic before the trade deadline, the Lakers will remain under the microscope down the stretch. The same applies to some of the franchise's former players, including one ex-Los Angeles guard on thin ice with his new team.
Lakers News: D'Angelo Russell On Thin Ice With Nets
One ex-Laker who's struggling with his new team is none other than D'Angelo Russell. Back in December, the veteran point guard was shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that saw the Lakers acquire Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
Although Russell is still a solid playmaker, his constant disappearance during the postseason saw the Lakers ready to move on. A divorce would've likely happened during the offseason, however, the former Ohio State Buckeye opted into his $18.7 million 2024-25 player option, keeping him on L.A.'s roster to begin the regular season.
Needless to say, the start of the year was rough for the 28-year-old guard. Russell averaged 12.4 points, 4.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and .415/.333/.849 splits across 29 appearances with the Lakers, leaving his supporters optimistic that a trade to Brooklyn could potentially get him back on track — especially after previously playing two seasons with the Nets.
Unfortunately, the mid-season trade didn't help Russell. In fact, his performance has declined since the deal.
In 17 games (14 starts) with the Nets, Russell is only averaging 13.8 points while shooting 38.1% from the field and 31.8% from deep playing over 24 minutes per outing. Although he's also putting up 5.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds, it's a far cry from his output during his 2018-19 All-Star campaign with the Nets.
Unsurprisingly, Russell's regression is negatively impacting his minutes. The Louisville, KY native went from averaging 25 minutes of action in his first 12 games with the Nets to less than 22 in the last five — including two sub-18-minute appearances during that stretch.
Slated to hit free agency in July, it's hard to imagine the Nets wanting to re-sign Russell based on his post-trade performance.
Although he's still decent enough to be a backup PG on a playoff-bound team, he just isn't good enough to raise the floor on his own anymore. Perhaps he can stick around Brooklyn if he takes a major pay cut but even that might be expecting too much if the Nets want to take their rebuild to the next level.
Either way, it looks like Los Angeles traded Russell at the right time. The Lakers will be reunited with their former playmaker when they visit the Nets during next month's four-game road trip.