4 Lakers Who Won't Be Back in 2024

3. D'Angelo Russell

The Los Angeles Lakers were so happy to add guard D'Angelo Russell to the team back in 2023. It was a breath of fresh air after Los Angeles just went through the Russell Westbrook experiment.

Russell was sent to the Lakers as part of a three-team trade that involved the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Russell isn't known for his athleticism but rather as a floor-spacing floor general.

The Ohio State product was at his best when he was knocking down perimeter jumpers and getting his teammates involved.

This past season, Russell averaged 18 points, 6.3 assists, and shot a career-high 41.5% from beyond the arc. Despite all the regular season success during the 2023-24 campaign, Russell once again shrunk in the postseason.

In the sweep to the Nuggets, Russell averaged 14.2 points and 4.2 assists but shot terribly from the floor. He finished with a 38.4 shooting percentage from the field and a measly 31.8% from 3-point land.

In addition to his bad offensive showing, he was a complete non-factor on the defensive end.

Adding more fuel to the fire, this was Russell's second bad playoff series against the Nuggets. In the 2023 Western Conference Finals, the 28-year-old logged 6.3 points, two rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 32% from the field and a putrid 13% from downtown.

These numbers are unacceptable and make him unplayable for certain matchups. With LeBron James turning 40 years old next season and Anthony Davis being 31, the Lakers can't afford to have Russell produce another postseason stinker.

He's going to be a free agent this summer and his time in Los Angeles has run it's course.