A lot has been happening in Los Angeles. From LeBron James‘ squad getting out of the playoffs race to firing their HC, Darvin Ham, seems like every new day brings a new decision. Now while currently Papa James is busy watching his son play the NBA Draft combine, there’s another issue boiling on the side for him. It’s about his teammate, D’Angelo Russell.

After the many lapses he made in the playoffs, people lost faith in Russell. They wanted him to stay out of the LA side for not giving an aging LeBron the proper support he needed. So, Russell now has an almost $19 million player option to look forward to after all the backlash he received from fans and analysts. His taking up the option or even declining it can have many impacts on the Lakers. This is the sentiment that ESPN analysts believe that he does hold a lot of “control”.

This is what the analysts says live, while LeBron is watching his son participate in the Draft combine: “D’Angelo Russel kind of controls a lot of what will happen this off-season based on that $19 mn player option he has until June 29. Whether he opts in or whether he opts out, that could give them some, you know, some additional flexibility.”

Russell had signed a two-year, $36 million contract before the commencement of the ongoing tournament. The upcoming season provides him with a player option for $18.7 million. According to various reports, he is expected to decline the player option and become a free agent.

In fact, rumors have started circulating that Orlando Magic, who need scorers in their guard positions, are looking to acquire the player. Dave McMenamin has also mentioned “Russell’s name has been mentioned in trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Atlanta Hawks” in the past few weeks. Given the rumors that the Lakers were already looking to part ways with the 2019 NBA All-Star back in February, before the trade deadline, both he and the team management seem to be aligned with the same mindset.

Since joining the Lakers, the player has formed a memorable working relationship with lead scorers LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, as much as they would want to retain D’Lo, they would be powerless in an official trade situation. This, however, did not stop Bron from making a public comment.

LeBron James once sent his praise to D’Lo amid trade rumors

Back in January, rumors were circulating that the Lakers were contemplating a trade that would send D’Angelo Russell to the Atlanta Hawks. In exchange, they would get Dejounte Murray. This action was thought to be under consideration, even though the player was averaging 17.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists during that time.

If there was someone who wouldn’t pay much heed to the rumor, it would be LeBron James.

During the same period, he took to his official Instagram account to put up a story. Highlighting a post that featured the 28-year-old player, the All-Time Leading Scorer wrote: “The boy 9Lo been in his (two bag emojis)!!!! Keep loading bro @dloading”. Soon after that, the trade deadline passed and Russell continued to be associated with the LA team. We may never know whether it was LeBron’s intervention that squashed the supposed trade talks. However, a positive remark from the team’s lead scorer can go a long way.

D’Angelo Russell’s exit would increase the offensive pressure on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Only time will lay more clarity on this situation.