The Los Angeles Lakers saved the 2022-23 season when the team traded Russell Westbrook in a package that brought D’Angelo Russell back to LA. While Russell had his flaws, the Lakers were able to get younger, deeper and benefit from addition by subtraction.
While Russell fit better schematically on the roster, some of his low points were on display during the NBA Playoffs. There is a reason why Russell has bounced from team to team and Lakers fans were reminded of that during the playoffs.
Russell is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and instead of letting him walk away for nothing, the Lake Show could try and pull off a sign-and-trade so the team could get something out of him.