D'Angelo Russell could be a major piece of any Lakers trades ahead of the trade deadline (Photo credits: IMAGN)
The LA Lakers are currently eighth in the Western Conference with a 13-11 record. If the season ended today, they would be a play-in team, which is nowhere near where they hope to be. However, the season is far from over, and the 2020 champions could still turn things around.
One of the things that Rob Pelinka, the Lakers GM, is reportedly looking to do is acquire win-now assets via trade. Among LA's assets, the one piece that will be at the forefront of any packages the Lakers put together is D'Angelo Russell, according to Tim Bontemps in an article published by ESPN on Friday.
Aside from Russell, who has an $18.6 million expiring contract, Bontemps said LA has a few other assets they can dangle for a trade, but ultimately, these are limited. As such, he added that finding a trade partner could be challenging.
