3 Nets backup plans after missing out on Pascal Siakam
By Lior Lampert
2. D’Angelo Russell’s return to the Brooklyn Nets
D’Angelo Russell is one of the more polarizing players in the NBA. Russell was selected with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft but has had an up-and-down career since. However, the Ohio State alumni enjoyed the greatest success of his time in the league as a member of the Nets, earning his lone All-Star appearance with Brooklyn in 2018-19.
That season, Russell averaged 21.1 points along with 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while making 3.5 3-pointers per game at a respectable 36.7 percent clip. Most notably, DLo led an undermanned Nets team to a 42-40 record, earning the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and a playoff berth. With that said, could a reunion be on the horizon?
Jovan Buha, who covers the Los Angeles Lakers for The Athletic, has suggested that the Lakers could have an interest in pursuing either or both of Finney-Smith and O’Neale to address their needs on the wing. Given Los Angeles’ lack of draft capital, they must find other ways to appease the Nets if they want to acquire at least one of the two players.
Russell is making an average salary of $18 million per year over the next two seasons but has a player option for 2024-25 that he is likely opting into, which could complicate matters.
If Brooklyn decides to bring back Russell, it would be an opportunity for him to return to a place where he once thrived.