3 emergency D’Angelo Russell trades to fix Lakers ‘level of compete’ issue

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 4-4 with a rather severe loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. LeBron James put together his best all-around effort of the season, but his teammates couldn't pick up the slack with Anthony Davis on the sideline because of injury.

Of the underperformers, none were more egregious than D'Angelo Russell. The Lakers point guard notched 12 points and three assists on 4-of-12 shooting in 22 minutes, which is perfectly respectable on the surface. He even notched a couple steals, but in between the buckets and the counting stats, Russell's head just wasn't in the game. He was responsible for several defensive breakdowns and a general malaise that had JJ Redick seething after the game.

Redick called out Russell's "lack of compete" when asked why the former No. 2 pick was benched for a long stretch to end the game. Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent both finished with more minutes than Russell, which has not been the norm to date.

Russell, on an expiring $18.7 million contract, has been a popular hypothetical trade target for years. Now the Lakers are in a proper position to trade him for a meaningful upgrade. His scoring numbers are bound to improve as the campaign progresses, but Russell's middling defense and inconsistency as a decsion-maker just aren't what Los Angeles needs from LeBron's primary backcourt running mate.

Whether it's a trade for another point guard or a wing to further balance the roster, the Lakers need to start dangling Russell to prospective buyers. The longer this stews, the more uncomfortable Redick (and all of us sitting at home) will get.

Here are a few workable trades.

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3. Lakers can swap D'Angelo Russell for familiar face in Nets' Dennis Schroder

The Brooklyn Nets are fully in 'Sag for Flagg' mode, which makes Dennis Schroder's excellent start to the campaign a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's driving up his trade value and providing a solid offensive baseline for the entire team. On the other hand, Schroder is helping the Nets win games. The sooner Brooklyn can cash in for a "worse" player (and draft picks), the better.

I'm sure the Lakers would hesitate to include their precious 2029 first-round pick, but this would include at least light protections to hedge against the murky post-LeBron future. In the meantime, Schroder provides an instant upgrade in the starting backcourt, giving the Lakers a consistent source of rim pressure and transition buckets. Schroder's speed, playmaking chops, and commitment to passable defense would put him in a higher impact bracket than Russell.

As for D'Lo, one has to imagine he'd relish a return to Brooklyn, where he once earned his lone All-Star nod. The Nets could look to flip him in a separate trade before the deadline, buy out that contract, or just let Russell cook alongside Cam Thomas is a backcourt that's sure to elate and mystify in equal measure. The main point, however, is that even if he puts up splashy numbers, Russell shouldn't elevate Brooklyn's competitive floor as much as Schroder is right now.

The Lakers also get Bojan Bogdanovic for their troubles, a potential impact shooter off the bench. JJ Redick's second unit is awfully thin right now and Bogey has a lot of offer, even if his age has dramatically sapped away his defensive equity. Two 25-plus minute rotation pieces for Russell, scraps, and a first-round pick is good business for the Lakers.

2. Lakers can reunite with Kyle Kuzma while sending D'Angelo Russell to Wizards

The idea of Kyle Kuzma returning to the Lakers has been floating in the ether for a while. The Washington Wizards are a fun group, but that team is willfully bad with sights set on Cooper Flagg. Kyle Kuzma has been pretty awful to start the season. His shooting numbers (.327/.278/.750) should perk up eventually, but with three years and roughly $70 million left on his contract, I am not sure Washington can expect peak value.

Still, offloading Kuzma's money for the expiring contract of D'Angelo Russell is a win. Jarred Vanderbilt's four-year, $48 million contract is a complicating factor, but that should age well once he's back healthy. If nothing else, it shouldn't be too hard to repackage Vando in a different trade. The Wizards could also look to flip Russell's salary, perhaps to take on more long-term money in exchange for draft assets. This package offers the Washington front office tremendous flexibility.

The Lakers would presumably plug Kuzma into Russell's spot in the starting lineup, upsizing the unit and allotting more ball-handling responsibilities to Austin Reaves. Kuzma's efficiency has long suffered under the burden of a featured role in DC. Playing off of LeBron and AD in JJ Redick's movement-heavy offense ought to improve Kuzma's metrics, even if his raw scoring output declines. Kuzma isn't an elite defender, but he's solid on that end and this change would dramatically improve Los Angeles' lagging numbers on that end of the floor.

Johnny Davis has pretty much flamed out in DC. He's mostly here as salary filler, but taking a flier on a former lottery pick with real athleticism and shot-making chops (or the faint impression of them) can't hurt, especially with the Lakers so deprived of bankable young talent outside of Dalton Knecht and Max Christie.

1. Lakers can send D'Angelo Russell to Bulls in Zach LaVine blockbuster

In what is perhaps the more predictable development of all time, Zach LaVine has started the season scorching-hot for the Chicago Bulls. After a tumultuous summer that saw Chicago try and fail to dump LaVine's contract, the All-Star is reminding folks of why he might be worth a bit of extra cash. Injuries have been a major storyline in LaVine's career, but he's still 29 years old, theoretically in the middle of his prime.

The Lakers need to shake up the lineup; adding a proper "third star" next to LeBron and AD would be gravy. It can be difficult to build around such an expensive trio under the new CBA, but if any team should operate with extreme financial aggression in pursuit of the ultimate goal, it's the Los Angeles freakin' Lakers. LaVine is due roughly $138 million over the next three years. It's a lot, but with some of the contracts being handed out these days, it's not the egregious, untenable albatross some make it out to be. Especially if he's playing at his current level.

Much has been said about LaVine's lack of winning experience, but we can hardly blame him for playing on bad teams. LaVine's mix of shooting, slashing, and ancillary playmaking would fit beautifully next to LeBron and AD. LaVine has never really played with multiple established stars at once. There are defensive concerns with a hypothetical LaVine-Reaves backcourt, but hey, we're replacing D'Angelo Russell. It can't get worse.

The rest of this trade is essentially a complex salary maneuver to balance the finances. The Bulls get to invest in Max Christie's future, while Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are basically just fodder for future trades. Russell's expiring contract either provides significant cap relief at season's end or frees up the Bulls to swing another impactful move before the deadline. LA, meanwhile, gets a couple potential lower-end rotation wings in Torrey Craig and Julian Phillips to keep the second unit well-stocked.

This really should've happened already. LaVine is very good, despite public perception, and he'd be an awesome third wheel for a promising Lakers team.