Will D’Angelo Russell leave the Lakers at the end of the season?

Could the LA Lakers and D’Angelo Russell be on the verge of breaking up - again? When a relationship becomes toxic, it is normally best for both parties to pack their bags and turn in opposite directions; if you read into what is coming off the rumour mill recently, that might just be where Russell and the Lakers are headed.

Russell has had a tough time recently at the Lakers, who were annihilated by the Nuggets three times in a row before clawing back a victory last night.

In Game 3, D’Angelo could be seen away from the huddle and looked utterly disengaged from what coach Darvin Ham was telling his side, sparking rumours that he could be set to leave the side and look for pastures new.

Could D’Angelo Russel leave the Lakers?

The Kentucky native, who is 28-years-old, has the choice of either returning to the Lakers next season for $18.7 million or try his luck the market.

Wow, that’s a lot of money, Joe, you might be saying right now. And you’re not wrong. For Russell to leave, he must either really not like the Lakers or have another equally lucrative deal lying around the corner.

Russell was a huge part of the Lakers’ success in the regular season, where he averaged 18.0 points and shot a career-high 41.5 percent from three-point range on 7.2 attempts per game.

However, right now things don’t look rosy for Russell given his poor playoff performances putting him way down the pecking order of a jam-packed point/combo guard market that could well include names such as Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk, Immanuel Quickley and Tyus Jones.

On the latest episode of ESPN’s The Hoop Collective Podcast, Brian Windhorst said he believes it’s “likely” that Russell will turn down his player option for next season to become a free agent.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers survived Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets to keep the series alive and putting an end to a 10 game losing streak against the Nuggets. Their next game is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday 29 April at 10:00PM ET / 8:00PM PT.