“LeBron Doesn’t Deserve a Teammate Like That”: Stephen A. Smith Takes Desperate Measures to End D’Angelo Russell’s Lakers Career

D’Angelo Russell’s hot and cold form continued on Thursday. The result? The Lakers are now on the verge of being swept by the Denver Nuggets after dropping the first three games of the first-round playoff series. While LeBron James and Anthony Davis filled the stat sheet, D’Angelo Russell, who, mind you, was the third-best player on the Lakers’ roster since January, went scoreless in 24 minutes of action. Adding to the disappointment, he did not join the team’s late-fourth-quarter huddle. This led Stephen A. Smith to advise Jeanie Buss and the Lakers front office to ship him this offseason.

In the recent episode of the First Take, Stephen A. Smith disclosed that he spoke to Jeanie Buss and Co. personally to trade away D’Lo. “LeBron James doesn’t deserve a teammate like that. Somebody like that, that’s not that prioritized, that’s not focused, get rid of them. It’s a privilege to be in LA and I’ve said this to Jeanie Buss, not just on television, I’ve said it to her personally, I’ve said it to Rob Pelinka personally, I’ve said it to Darvin Ham”

He further added, “D’Angelo Russell is one of those people you don’t even take him for a drive anymore. You just ship him out because you know you can’t rely on him when it really really counts. That means when you going up against some dogs, he’s going to wilt beneath the pressure he has shown us this, and it’s a da-n shame that he has.” However, as per all that’s going on right now, it seems that Russel would definitely look forward to a relocation.

D’Angelo Russell “likely” to opt out of his player option

Just last offseason, the Lakers decided to sign D’Angelo for a two-year contract worth $36 million, including a $18.7 million player option for him in the second year. Currently, he has two choices – either to opt out of his player option or continue with the purple and gold, and potentially become their “someone” to trade for the franchise, so they can land a third-star player.

Now, as per Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Russel can “likely” turn the player option down next season, and might go forth with free agency.

This is obviously going to make things difficult for the LA side, who are looking to bring another start into the fold. Without D’Lo’s $18.7 million, Lakeres can add many players to bring up a package that will bring the kind of players that the team is looking for.

While a sign-and-trade is an option, the Lakers’ ability to receive a player in this manner is restricted if they are in the apron. Adding to their concerns, LeBron James also holds a player option for next season, which he may exercise if his son, Bronny, is drafted. Furthermore, the Lakers could be in for a coaching change if the Lakers lose this series against Denver.

Do you think the Lakers can rally a comeback tonight in Game 4? Or will their season end tonight? Let us know in the comments!