Lakers Must Sign D'Angelo Russell to New Contract amid FA, Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers' in-season restructuring was largely successful. It didn't deliver a championship, but it allowed a team that began the season 2-10 to reach the Western Conference Finals as a play-in squad.

If the Lakers can keep the core group together we saw in the postseason—and perhaps upgrade a spot or two in the rotation—they could be contenders next season. Better team chemistry and, presumably, an easier path through the postseason, could make L.A. very dangerous in 2024.

Of course, keeping the band together is the challenge. The Lakers still can't be certain if they'll have LeBron James, who hinted at retirement after the team was ousted by the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers also have to deal with restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, plus unrestricted free agent D'Angelo Russell.

Keeping Reaves is a priority. According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the Lakers plan to match any offer sheet for the 25-year-old, up to the $98.7 million max he can receive from another team.

Los Angeles will likely try to keep Hachimura at the right price, but it will probably weigh its options with Russell. The 27-year-old played well for much of his post-trade stint but was exposed both offensively and defensively against Denver.

Fans should hope that Los Angeles can find an upgrade at point guard this offseason, and it seems the Lakers feel the same way.

"My read on the situation is that the Lakers would prefer to use D'Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade, but I'm not sure the market is there," Buha wrote on May 31.

Unfortunately for any fans hoping to see L.A. move on from Russell, he's probably the best option the Lakers can fit into their financial plans—assuming James is back, of course.

Potential free-agent options such as James Harden and Fred VanVleet (both have player options) will likely be out of the Lakers' price range. Acquiring Kyrie Irving as a free agent or in a sign-and-trade? That's probably not happening, either.

James has made no secret about the fact that he'd like to have Irving in L.A. According to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, though, Irving is interested in bringing James to the Dallas Mavericks in a trade:

While James may well be intrigued by the idea of playing with Irving and Luka Dončić, he's probably not getting dealt to Dallas.

"The Lakers simply aren’t interested in what Dallas could offer in a trade, according to multiple team sources," Buha wrote on Monday.

In reality, Irving may not be serious about bringing James to Denver. One source told CBS Sports' Bill Reiter that Irving's play is to send a message to general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers' front office.

"LeBron's not going to Dallas," the source said, per Reiter. "That doesn't even make sense. This is about Kyrie telling (Lakers general manager) Rob (Pelinka) that he's not taking a discount. And about LeBron trying to create some leverage."

In other words, if the Lakers want Irving, they're going to have to trade for whatever contract the Mavericks work out—which could be worth up to $47 million for next season. That's not realistic for L.A. if it's bringing back James, Reaves, Anthony Davis and any semblance of their current supporting cast.

Could the Lakers find a new point guard by using Russell in a sign-and-trade? Perhaps, but as Buha noted, he doesn't carry a ton of trade value. This leaves re-signing Russell and hoping he can improve under coach Darvin Ham as L.A.'s best logical option. It seems at least some members of the Lakers brass have already recognized this reality.

"I actually think there are corners of the organization that would still like D'Angelo Russell back just because they have a void at that position," ESPN's Zach Lowe said on his The Lowe Post podcast. "They need a point guard."

And if the Lakers don't re-sign Russell as their starting point guard, they could be left scrambling to find one. Dennis Schröder is also an impending free agent and could be on his way elsewhere.

The caveat here is that the Lakers would have to land Russell at the right price. Retaining Reaves will be costly, L.A. will need some cap flexibility to round out its roster, and it's already projected to be $89.1 million over the soft cap, according to Spotrac.

Unsurprisingly, Los Angeles "will not pursue" a max extension with Russell, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

The Lakers may ultimately have to make an offer that is team friendly enough to be justifiable but strong enough to entice the 27-year-old to re-sign. The good news for L.A. is that his free-agent market probably isn't big enough to grant him much leverage in negotiations. If that holds true in July, re-signing Russell is the financially smart play for Los Angeles.

Plans often change during the NBA offseason, though, and the Lakers' plans at point guard could alter dramatically if James decides he's not coming back for one more L.A. run.