Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell Could Soon Become Expendable

If things play out a certain way during the 2017 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers could soon be forced to make a difficult decision regarding D’Angelo Russell’s future.

Surprisingly, the Los Angeles Lakers may actually get to keep their 2017 NBA Draft first-round pick. That, however, could put them in a rather precarious situation.

In order to keep the selection out of the Philadelphia 76ers’ possession, the Lakers need a Top 3 pick. Based on the current stock of the top 2017 NBA Draft prospects, that would leave Los Angeles likely looking at a point guard.

Two of the top talents expected to be available are Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball. Both are point guards who many expect to go first and second overall during June’s draft. Even after them, most folks have a handful of point guards filling out the remainder of the Top 10.

So what happens if the lottery lands the Lakers the top pick in the draft? Seeing as Fultz is the largely seen as the top prospect right now, it would only seem logical for them to go with him.

Here’s Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp on Fultz, if you need some context:

"“[Fultz is] explosive, but he plays under control. He’s got great size for a point guard, and a jumper that’s already fairly reliable (42% from three on the year) for someone his age I’ve heard multiple scouts call him the best guard prospect the NBA’s seen since John Wall, with a game that looks a lot like what James Harden‘s doing in Houston this year. He’ll need to improve his effort defensively, but with a nearly 6’10 wingspan, he’s got the tools to be excellent on that end, too.“All of which is to say: there are people who love Lonzo Ball and maybe there will be good arguments for Jayson Tatum or Josh Jackson come June, but Markelle Fultz should be the number one pick.”"

How can the Lakers pass on a player like that? Obviously things could chance in the coming months, but Fultz would have to be the pick at No. 1 based on what we know right now. Even if he isn’t, Ball stands a good chance of earning that honor.

So for the sake of argument, let’s assume Los Angeles wins the lottery and takes Fultz at No. 1 overall.

However, as you know, the Lakers already have two starting-caliber point guards–D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. With Clarkson already assuming the bench role and Lou Williams serving as the sixth man, there’s only so much roster space to go around.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

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Through a season and a half, Russell has been a roller coaster ride. For a stretch of games, he’ll look like a star in the making. Heck, all of the talk this offseason was about how he was going to emerge as the face of the franchise. I was on that bandwagon.

However, between the injuries and inconsistent play, I’m starting to think there’s some concern among the team that he isn’t going to meet those lofty expectations.

Could the Lakers try to trade him if it’s determined he’s too unreliable to pin the franchise’s future on? It seems crazy, but having Fultz and Clarkson on the roster would make the move easier to swallow. Plus, he’s still got the superb potential to yield some serious returns.

Obviously this is all hypothetical. The Lakers would not only need to keep losing at their current pace, but they’d also need to win the lottery. Both of those things happening together are possible, but not all that likely.

Still, if the situation arises, Los Angeles could find itself in quite the bind.

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A few short months ago, Russell looked like the future of this Lakers team. At this moment, though, I can see a world where Los Angeles turns into a contender without him. Especially if Fultz finds his way onto the roster, brass will have to seriously consider moving on from Russell.