With Kobe Bryant out the door, the Los Angeles Lakers are definitely making moves to build up their roster for the next season. And, according to recent rumors, this could include trading away D'Angelo Russell.
As noted by Inquisitr, the Lakers are one of the teams looking to sign Kevin Durant, who is expected to become a free agent once the current season ends. But aside from the OKC small forward, the team is also hoping to get Al Horford and DeMar DeRozan.
Given the status of these athletes, the Lakers to need to free up a bit of space in its salary cap. But aside from this, they could also pair up any of these athletes with new players from another team.
According to Bleacher Report, one way they could do this is by trading away Russell along with its No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft event to the Utah Jazz. In exchange, the team could get Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward.
With these two on the roster, the Lakers will have a pair of young athletes who have already proven their skills on the court and can easily support other players that the team wants to acquire.
For the Jazz, on the other hand, a potential deal with the Lakers will also be very beneficial. For one, they'll get a new point guard through Russell, who was the second overall pick during the 2015 NBA Draft. In addition, by getting the Lakers' No. 2 slot, the Jazz will be able to make their proper move to secure either Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons, who are both valuable prospects for any team.
But then again, nothing is clear at this point since none of the parties involved in this story have explicitly expressed what they will be doing during the weeks leading up to the draft event. Also, there's a strong chance that the Lakers will not let go if their No. 2 slot since they are also targeting to acquire Simmons or Ingram.
Also, Russell has proven that he is a valuable asset to the Lakers. The team knows this to which is why it could end up keeping him until next season.
