Lakers Find All-Star D'Angelo Russell Upgrade in Massive Three-Team Trade Proposal

The Los Angeles Lakers remain the only team in the NBA to not make an addition to their roster this summer. They have the exact same roster as last year and one of the biggest obstacles in front of them is D'Angelo Russell and his contract.

Unexpectedly, Russell opted into his $18.7 million player option for next season. This signaled that he didn't have much of a market outside of Los Angeles in a potential free agency. Combine that with LeBron James' contract extension and the Lakers don't have any cap space to work with.

Unless there is a D'Angelo Russell trade, it's hard to foresee the Lakers making the necessary roster improvements. The Lakers either have to move Russell to create some cap space or use his salary in a trade for an upgrade. Jackson Caudell of Fan Nation's All Hawks suggested a deal that does the latter for Los Angeles.

Hawks receive: Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt
Bulls receive: D'Angelo Russell, De'Andre Hunter, and Jalen Hood Schifino
Lakers receive: Zach LaVine, Torrey Craig, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2030 second-round pick

The Lakers turn Vincent, Vanderbilt, Hood-Schifino, and Russell into Zach LaVine with this deal. Acquiring LaVine is a clear upgrade and brings the Lakers another offensive engine needed around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Trading for a near All-Star caliber player without giving up draft capital is also a win for the Lakers.

At the same time, this deal creates some complications for the Lakers. First of all, they lose a ton of depth. Second, they give up almost all of their matching salaries for future trades. The Lakers would only have Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves to use in a potential deal to upgrade the roster. Finally, there is a chance LaVine's contract is unmovable for the Lakers in the future, handicapping their financial flexibility and cap space further.

Considering the way GM Rob Pelinka missed out on his free agent and trade targets so far, he may have to resort to a big gamble like this. At this point in the offseason, maybe a big boom-or-bust type of swing is the only thing the Lakers can do to have a chance to be competitive next year.

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