D’Angelo Russell opting in to Lakers player option with excitement over JJ Redick

D’Angelo Russell is staying in Laker Land. 

The 28-year-old guard is opting in to his $18.7 million player option for the 2024-25 NBA season, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Russell cited the arrival of JJ Redick, who took over for Darvin Ham as the Lakers’ head coach, as a big reason why he spurned free agency to return to LA.

“I love what JJ is about and I really see myself thriving under his guidance to help win at a high level,” Russell said, per ESPN. 

In his ninth season in the NBA, Russell averaged 18 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting and 41.5 percent from 3 to go along with 6.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds. 

During his introductory press conference, Redick said the deep ball will be a key part of the Lakers’ offensive attack, which is a system Russell, who hit a Lakers single-season record 226 3-pointers last season, could thrive in.

Russell, whose name has consistently been in trade rumors since he arrived in Los Angeles, could be used as a trade piece for the Lakers with his cap-friendly expiring contract as the team looks to extend its championship window around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

James, for his part, opted out of his player option on Saturday but is expected to sign a new deal with the Lakers, according to multiple reports.

Last season, Russell experienced some discontent with Ham, who puzzlingly took the ball-handler out of the Lakers’ starting lineup in January during a tough stretch, per The Athletic.

Russell’s 2023-24 season culminated with a strange moment on the Lakers’ bench during a 112-105 Game 3 loss in the first round to the Nuggets when he appeared to be on his phone and eating during a team huddle. 

He finished with no points in 24 minutes of play during that game. 

The Lakers would end up being eliminated from the postseason by Denver for the second season in a row two games later.