“When I first got drafted, I think there’s a lot of attention here in L.A. so everything is kind of magnified. Then once I got traded, I realized it’s only like this really in L.A. so it allowed me to just focus on my craft in New York”. Recalling his NBA rookie season, D’Angelo Russell drew a contrast between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. Though he may not have asked for it, D’Angelo Russell may now get to experience a sense of ‘Déjà vu’, as he is once again shifted from the Lakers to the Nets. With a deal having been finalized between the two teams, the point guard has now called his 2 tenure with the LA franchise to an end. Fortunately, as highlighted by Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Russell is “excited for a new opportunity”.

Several things will change for the NBA player amidst this shift. However, one thing that will stay constant is his salary. After all, Russell’s contract continues to remain active for the duration of the ongoing season. In light of this information, let us find out more about how much the 28-year-old point guard earn.

What was D’Angelo Russell’s contract with the Los Angeles Lakers?

D’Angelo Russell had signed a 2-year, $37.4 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers back in July 2023. The amount was later reduced to $36 million. This meant that the player’s average salary was placed at $18 million per season. However, the team adjusted Russell’s salary by bearing the cap hit in mind. As a result, the player was set to earn around $18.69 million from his contract during the ongoing season. This allows the point guard to rank as the 93rd highest paid NBA player for the 2024-25 tournament. He ranks right between San Antonio Spurs’ Keldon Johnson ($19 million), and Chicago Bulls’s Patrick Williams ($18.5 million).

D’Angelo Russell made a major improvement with his current contract compared to the rookie deal he signed with the Lakers.

The team selected the point guard as the 2nd overall pick during the 2015 NBA draft. Therefore, they expected to give him a deal that would be higher than any other rookie in that year. That is, except for Karl-Anthony Towns, the 1 overall draft pick that year. Sure enough, Russell ended up receiving a 4-year, $23.02 million contract. The Lakers placed the entire amount under the guaranteed category, with the player earning an average of at least $5.75 million per season. Similarly to the current situation, however, the team traded D’Angelo Russell even before his contract expired. If all of this still doesn’t give the point guard ‘Déjà vu’, then what does?

Given that the entirety of the $36 million was placed under the guaranteed category, the current trade will not affect the player’s existing pay. However, after the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, D’Angelo Russell is reportedly set to become an unrestricted free agent. Therefore, it will be up to the Brooklyn Nets then to give him an extension.

How much will D’Angelo Russell earn with the Brooklyn Nets?

The Brooklyn Nets traded D’Angelo Russell for the first time back in June 2017. The team gave him a new contract only once his rookie deal came to an end. In July 2019, two years after they traded him, the Nets offered Russell a 4-year, $117.3 million maximum veteran contract. Along with the entire amount being guaranteed, the contract stipulated that Russell would receive an average salary of $29.33 million per season. This was a 409.712% increase in annual pay from his rookie contract. Furthermore, the cap hit under the contract ranged between $27.285 million to at least $31.378 million.

Now, once again with the Brooklyn Nets, D’Angelo Russell could be expecting another raise, right? Well, probably not. In fact, there is a good chance that the Brooklyn Nets do not give D’Angelo Russell an extension at all. After all, the Nets now cover Russell’s $18.7 million expiring contract, along with the $1.9 million salary of Maxwell Lewis. According to reports, this places the franchise $677,000 below the luxury tax. On top of that, they have only $1.9 million in space to operate underneath the first apron. Under the updated CBA Guidelines, teams failing to keep salary expenditures under the luxury tax, and aprons, can face consequences. As highlighted by ESPN Insider Bobby Marks, Russell also has around $700,000 in unlikely bonuses that count toward the apron. Under these conditions, giving the player an extension immediately after the season’s conclusion may not be the way to go.

Most likely due to this dilemma, reports emerged on whether the Nets could opt for a cheaper deal. NBA reporter Brett Siegel highlighted this by taking to X and writing “Expect D’Angelo Russell to be a prime buyout candidate after being traded to the Nets.”

Less than an hour after that tweet, however, HoopsHype reporter Michael Scotto came out with a different take. Taking to X himself, he wrote “For those suggesting the Brooklyn Nets and D’Angelo Russell could consider a buyout, I’m told that’s not the case. DLo will come to Brooklyn for his second stint with the Nets after becoming an All-Star with the organization in 2019.” Amidst this speculation, anything can happen.

As of now, it is too early to state how much can D’Angelo Russell earn with the Brooklyn Nets. Or whether he will even get to earn with the Brooklyn Nets again. The only way to show that Russell deserves that extension is whether he proves himself alongside the Nets squad. Therefore, if he had already averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists with the Lakers, then he will have to up his ante during the upcoming games.