D'Angelo Russell has been one of the more polarizing Lakers over the past few seasons. Recently, he was featured in trade rumors up until the deadline. At times, it felt like the Lakers re-signed Russell to use him as trade bait. And now, he has the decision to opt out of his contract and look to sign elsewhere.
Los Angeles never traded Russell last season, and he delivered during the regular season. He averaged 18 points on 45.6/41.5/82.8 shooting splits while averaging 6.3 assists. A guard who can balance scoring and playmaking, particularly for Wembanyama, is currently missing on the Spurs roster. Russell could be that guard.
The following name on the list is more fantasy; the player has no interest in taking a pay cut with their current team, so it stands to reason they would not take one to play in San Antonio. But let's have some fun, and please play along.
