Everyone on Your Best Behavior, Officer Russell is Back in Los Angeles

On June 22nd, 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers traded D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets because Russell tried to ‘prank’ his teammate Nick Young by recording him bragging about cheating on Iggy Azalea but the video was leaked and the prank instantly ruined people’s lives.

6 years later and D’Angelo Russell will be back in Los Angeles following a crazy 3-team deal with Utah and Minnesota.

ESPN Sources: The Lakers are finalizing deal to land Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade including Mike Conley and picks to Timberwolves and Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected 2027 LA first-round pick to Jazz.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

The Lakers are bringing D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jared Vanderbilt to town and they’re getting rid of Russell Westbrook—a player who prior to being benched, had planted his flag as the worst player in the entire NBA.

As far as the actual basketball goes, this is a good move for the Lakers or whatever. I wrote about it when they traded for Rui Hachimura but the Lakers literally needed NBA players to fill their roster. Hachimura, D-Lo, Beasley and Vanderbilt are guys who belong in the NBA as opposed to Wenyen Gabriel and Troy Brown Jr playing important minutes for a team trying to make the playoffs.

It was reported that Westbrook got into a heated argument with Darvin Ham in his final game with the Lakers. A game in which LeBron James broke the all-time NBA scoring record. With the game completely centered around honoring one of the greatest athletes in American history, LeBron took 20 shots. Westbrook took 19. The Lakers lost that game.

Now, D’Angelo Russell isn’t someone who’s going to average 10 assists a game at any point in his career so it’s not as if his game is too dissimilar from Westbrook’s but D-Lo makes the jumpers he takes while Westbrook airballs them. It makes it easier to jog back and play defense when you have a successful offensive possession compared to watching a guy brick a shot you know he shouldn’t have taken to begin with.

D’Angelo is averaging more points than Westbrook and he’s shooting 39% from 3 while Westbrook is shooting 29%. Put that next to LeBron and the Lakers have a chance.

All the Lakers have to do is follow the rules and keep their head on a swivel while traveling with undercover officer Russell who will catch you cheating on your spouse with his bodycam. The FBI will be at your hotel door before you even get the chance to send out your ‘sorry, I fell asleep’ lie text to your wife.