5 upcoming free agents playing for a new deal in the NBA Playoffs
By Lior Lampert
The NBA Playoffs are an opportunity for players to prove their value on the league’s biggest stage. These upcoming free agents are trying to secure the bag.
It is a time when players leave it all out on the floor in pursuit of etching their names in the NBA’s history books and earning a championship ring. While some players have become known for being great payoff performers, some have not been able to succeed under the bright lights in the same way they do in the regular season.
Look no further than Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson. He wanted a four-year, $55 million contract extension from the Mavericks last offseason which they never offered him. But after playing a pivotal role in the Mavs’ run to the Western Conference Finals last season, he received a contract extension nearly twice as large to play for the Knicks.
Here are five upcoming free agents playing for a new deal in the NBA Playoffs
5. D’Angelo Russell
The 2022-23 season has quietly been one of the best of Russell’s career. While his scoring has taken a dip, he has seen a nice bump in efficiency from both the field and behind the 3-point line this season. He has had a big impact on the Lakers’ late-season turnaround after being acquired at the trade deadline and hit three crucial fourth-quarter 3s to help secure a win in Game 4 against the Grizzlies.
DLo is shooting 41.4 percent from 3 on over six attempts per game in 17 games since joining the Lakers while providing 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per game. The former No. 2 overall pick is in the last year of his contract and set to be an unrestricted free agent.
D’Angelo Russell is going to be 28 years old next season and could be looking at a big payday. However, will the Lakers be the one to give it to him? After all, they did trade him back in 2017. The Timberwolves also decided to move on from Russell this year in the midst of one of his better seasons, but why?
It had been reported that the Timberwolves wanted ‘more maturity’ at the point guard position, which motivated them to trade Russell and bring in Mike Conley. Conley is 35 years old and getting paid around $22 million a year until the end of the 2023-24 season.
The fact that the Wolves were willing to take on an aging veteran with a such lucrative contract just to part ways with D’Angelo Russell is not a positive development for his free-agency outlook. But with the L.A. looking to make a deep run, he has an opportunity to prove his worth to the Lakers and teams around the league.